Think locally, act globally

It appears that in the run-up to war, George W. Bush had no idea that Islam comes in different flavours.

A year after his “Axis of Evil” speech before the U.S. Congress, President Bush met with three Iraqi Americans, one of whom became postwar Iraq’s first representative to the United States. The three described what they thought would be the political situation after the fall of Saddam Hussein. During their conversation with the President, Galbraith claims, it became apparent to them that Bush was unfamiliar with the distinction between Sunnis and Shiites.

Galbraith reports that the three of them spent some time explaining to Bush that there are two different sects in Islam–to which the President allegedly responded, “I thought the Iraqis were Muslims!”

Is it any wonder that the architects of the Iraq war are now unable to navigate the web of sectarian alliances?

And no, I don’t understand it either. But then I didn’t decide to throw rocks at the hornet’s nest. I might have done some research first.

At least I was aware of the disctinction. I listened in Mr Bryant’s social studies class in high school. And I was conscious during the latter half of the 70s what with the hostage crisis and all. Which is probably more than Dear Leader can say.