Lost in Space

The other day, the U.S. went after Iran's leaders for "suppressing protests" in that country, announcing: "Iran must let its people protests freely without fear of reprisals."

A week later, facing a "Day of Rage" in Saudi Arabia, America's friend, the Saudi king, threatened to "cut off the finger" of any Saudi who dare lift a finger in protest. Funny how quickly the U.S. lost its tongue.

Ideally, the U.S. wants self-determination for the Arabs of North Africa and the Middle East; in reality, we don't. America prefers authoritarian rulers there. We don't care if they are kings, military dictators, or just plain despots, so long as they cater to our interests.

Interestingly, the most democratic of the Arab peoples appear to be the Palestinians. When they had what international observers deem a fair and democratic election, however, the U.S. rejected the results because the Palestinians had failed to elect the candidate America preferred.

Talk about being on the "wrong side of history": When it comes to the Arab Revolution, we're not even on the same plane.