The Arab Response to Bush's comments

There were so many people crying bloody murder at Laura Bush's comments on the Egyptian referendum, that it's rather refreshing to see Bush- the actual president mind you- step up and critisize the shit that went down that day: Q: Mr. President, President Bush, the First Lady under the Egyptian pyramids this week enthusiastically endorsed Mubarak's first steps towards direct presidential elections. Two days later, Mubarak supporters attacked the opposition in the streets. Was it premature to back Mubarak? What's your message to Mubarak now? PRESIDENT BUSH: I also embraced President Mubarak's first steps and said that those first steps must include people's ability to have access to TV, and candidates ought to be allowed to run freely in an election and that there ought to be international monitors. That's -- and the idea of people expressing themselves in opposition in government, then getting a beating, is not our view of how a democracy ought to work. It's not the way that you have free elections. People ought to be allowed to express themselves, and I'm hopeful that the President will have open elections that everybody can have trust in. While the majority of naysayers will say that it isn't much, it's kinda refreshing to see the Arab's press response to actually report it fairly ( Responses compiled By Abu Aardvark here). I agree with Abu Aardvark's opinion, that provided Bush saying the right things the right way, the arab world is more likely respond to him and give him the benefit of a doubt. And by the way, unlike his predecessor, Bush's wife doesn't try to play president, nor are her comments also what he believes in. So, do me a favor and don't freak out like that next time. The woman was put on the spot and was trying to be polite and diplomatic is all.