...from the practical point of view there is no necessity to export democracy. The people themselves feel that they want to have those freedoms that you get from democratic development. If you ask people whether they want to be able to say what they want to say, whether they want to practice whatever religion they chose, whether they want the freedom to educate their children, girls and boys, whether they want to be free from that knock on the door from the secret police, the people will say, yes, of course we want this. And that is why there is no need to export democracy or to implement democracy from above. People must be given the opportunity to freely express their wishes. And they will choose democracy, and so here I think the old terminology about exporting democracy has gotten old.
Very heartwarming, Madame Secretary, but if that is the case, why did we bomb the shit out of Iraq?
Of course, for all those still claiming that we went into Iraq to export democracy, I have to ask: if we care so much about the well-being of their government, why are we man-handling their legislators?
Putting it in context, Professor Cole writes
The incident will seem minor to most Americans.... But such an incident is a serious affront to national honor, and Iraqi male politicians don't often weep.
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