What democarcy?

The Bush administration keeps telling us that the sacrifices of our military personnel have resulted in the establishment of democracy and freedom in Iraq. In light of recent events, I have to question this claim. Only a few months ago, the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lodged a strong complaint with the U.S. government for airstrikes on civilian targets without Iraqi consent. More recently, the U.S. military vetoed the Iraqi choice for a general to lead the Iraqi forces in a joint operation with U.S. troops. On Jan. 15, the Courier-Post reported that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari had called for the release of five Iranians detained by the U.S. military, stating they were part of a legitimate diplomatic mission. He discounted American accusations that they belonged to the Revolutionary Guard, a hard-line military force. When duly elected officials are summarily overruled by the American occupation force in many important and vital issues, where is the free democracy? In spite of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's denial that it is a puppet government, her rhetoric is compromised by the facts. Anthony Seminara, Cherry Hill - Courier Post, January 31, 2007