The Riga Shuffle

At a press conference today in Riga, Latvia, President Bush was in rare form. He was asked whether Washington and Moscow should work out a plan to bring democracy to Belarus, an oppressive Stalinist-era former Soviet republic that Bush has called the "last remaining dictatorship in Europe." His response:

"Secret deals to determine somebody else's fate I think that's what we're lamenting here today, one of those secret deals among large powers that consigns people to a way of government."

You mean like two powerful allies concocting a plan well in advance to invade a smaller nation on false pretenses to destroy that nation's type of government and impose a totally different one?

And this from Bush today:

"We will not repeat the mistakes of other generations appeasing or excusing tyranny, and sacrificing freedom in the vain pursuit of stability."

I'm glad to hear that. And I know the citizens of our close allies are as well--nations like Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, Pakistan, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Uzbekistan.

And if "stability" is not why pictures like this get taken, someone better come up with the real reason as soon as possible.