President Obama hopes to restore relations with Argentina, which resents American support for authoritarian governments in the past:
[President] Obama also tried to show the softer side of US power in Argentina, where many harbor resentment at Washington's support for past coups and dictatorships.
His trip to Buenos Aires coincided with the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought the country's last murderous military regime to power.
Victims' groups had been angered by the date chosen for Obama's visit, given the US support for the coup at the time.
I will at least say that the Argentina trip has a purpose--where we supported dictatorship, even as I believe the Cuba project is foolhardy (Cuba agreed to this opening--ending our policy that opposed dictatorship--to save their regime rather than doom it).
But explain to me why today our Left seems to be on board a policy of rejecting democracy for Moslems in the Middle East, preferring a policy of supporting autocrats to keep the wogs in line?
We stiff-armed Iranian protesters in 2009, we failed to support Iraqi democracy after 2011, and in general the Left (and much of the Right, sad to say) is horrified about the Arab Spring which is seen as too risky when we could just support non-Islamist autocrats who will hold the passions of the Islamists in check by force.
So what president will have to have an outreach trip to the Middle East one day in the future to combat the resentments of Washington's support for past coups and dictatorships in the Moslem world?
At least that future American president will be able to point to the actions of George the Liberator to bolster our image.
