A Lebanonese blogger gives a wonderful perspective on the Cedar Revolution and its friend—George W. Bush:
Bush had nothing to do with the impetus for our protests in Lebanon.
He was the reason we went to bed afterward.
This quote is tremendous because it gets it right. Bush didn't create the desire for democracy in Lebanon. His policies and his actions just give Lebanese people the hope that Syria couldn't kill them all.
Let's be honest. We turned a blind eye toward the occupation of Lebanon for decades. I'm glad that we finally have a leader in America that can give them the encouragement they need to fight for their country, their sovereignty, and their freedom.
I hope one day that I can visit places like Lebanon and Iraq, walk the streets as an American and see a country and a people in charge of their destinies and grateful to be alive and hopeful for their futures. Too much of the Middle East is mired in misery and unhappiness and anger—and they don't need to be. They must realize that demonizing America doesn't make their miseries disappear.
In many ways, the Middle East is like a large segment of America's underclasses—content to blame the rich for their own failures, angry because of perceived wrongs, unable to take responsibility for their own lives. It's so much easier to blame everybody else.
