From GWB’s Second Inaugural speech..

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty—though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.

I thought one of the broader goals of the war in Iraq was to set up a democracy that would serve as a beacon to the others in the region and other nations would follow suit. I always said it would take years perhaps decades to see how everything would sort itself out in the ME after GWB kicked over all the tables and blew up the status quo in the ME. Before him, the main goal for the US in the ME was stability, not liberty. Anyway, you can’t accuse GWB of trying to maintain the status quo.
The long term goal is that democracy brings peace to the region even if it means short term chaos. Whats happening in Egypt pretty much has to happen in order to get rid of a tyrant. They don’t usually leave without a kick in the tail. The question is, will the new Government be more or less repressive and hostile to US interests.