WashPost endorses W’s Middle East policy

BTW, sorry I’ve been away for so long – been very busy this past month. Promise to stay more on top of things in this very important of election years:

A Multilateral Mr. Bush

PRESIDENT BUSH didn’t expand, in his State of the Union address, on how he plans to promote democratization in the greater Middle East, beyond a worthy proposal to double funding for the National Endowment for Democracy. But the White House is considering several potentially important new initiatives. One envisions a charter for freedom for the Middle East — a mutual commitment by countries in the region to embrace the principles and institutions of democracy, linked to a follow-up process. Another centers on a possible program by NATO to forge training and other security cooperation agreements with Arab states. A third would promote economic links between Middle Eastern countries and the United States and European Union. The ideas are nascent and face a few obstacles. But the fact that the administration is discussing them with key European governments is encouraging.*snip*

Just one more reason to re-elect the President.