So we may find ourselves in an even more strategically disadvantageous position in the region than we already are. Crude was up 6% today. We may not pay for these revolutions in blood, but we certainly will in treasure.
Ah, good, so now we've something to spend all the money we were giving Mubarak on!

Yes. Back when I was young and dumb I bought into idealist notions of the benefits of a democratic Middle East, but the results have been less than positive. At this point, realpolitik and national self interest trump such romanticism.
Okay, regardless from your age, let's talk about something different. How involved have you been when it comes to the Middle East? Do you regularly speak people from Yemen, Oman, Egypt or Algeria? Have you ever been to Lebanon, Syria or Morocco? Do you check on events happening as they are in the Middle East, even when there's not that much to report? Do you visit congresses or talk with opposition leaders in exile?

There's been a struggle for freedom longer than just today, you know. The only alternative is not al-Zarqawi or bin Laden. It's not a choice between radical, sword-swinging, kalashnikov-wielding afghan jihadis. There's a sizeable intellectual, young, and generally well-educated movement.

Strategically, it's even dumber to suggest that it's in the best interests to support your frenemies. It's what the US did when Khomeini returned to Iran, and you know, that worked out quite well. Y'know, if you can look over the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield, something not seen since World War I. Maybe if we'd condemned Iraq then, and there, the Iranian people would have no reason to hate the US. Or when the Kurds got slaughtered Halabja and the blame was put on Iran. Maybe if we'd listen to Robert Fisk and his colleagues, Ahmadinejad wouldn't have been elected in the first place. Wouldn't have been necessary.

There's no moral high ground to take anymore, and you know it as well as I do. The Libyans know, the Egyptians know, the Tunisians know and the Yemenis know too. It's time for people to deal mano-a-mano. Like real people. Not master to servant, but man to man. Or woman to woman! I'd support that, too.