And the moral? Don't blame George W. Bush: Chaos in U.S. foreign policy is nothing new. But pity those, whether the Hungarians in 1956, or the Shiites in 1991, who take our democracy rhetoric too literally: Sometimes we really mean it -- and sometimes we don't.
(via WaPo)

You know what, Anne Applebaum? The mess in Hungary in 1956 was Ike's fault and the mess in Iraq is W's fault today. What a beautiful example of just what the hell is wrong with the way the media uses history today! Just because an earlier president screwed things up does not absolve future presidents for much bigger mistakes!

As someone who teaches a university course in the history of U.S. foreign policy, one of my primary themes is that presidents are responsible for their policies and should be held accountable. While I understand that Applebaum is trying to make what passes for a stinging indictment of our foreign policy these days, it seems to me that such an insightful critique certainly wouldn't contain the phrase "Don't blame George W. Bush" within it anywhere.

We really are scraping the bottom of the barrel for talent these days in the media, huh?