"There's Always Hope That This Won't Work" (Updated)

Via Instapundit, a couple of Democrats look at the positive changes in the Middle East and admit what they're really thinking. Nice, guys. No wonder you haven't won any elections lately.

You know, when you're on the side hoping that democracy doesn't happen, you might be on the wrong side. Ever thought of that?

Update: More from Mark Steyn, which is really a must-read. More below the fold.

Wizbang thoughtfully provided this look back at the Bush Doctrine, for you nay-sayers who complain that it was only about democracy when we didn't find WMD:

All fathers and mothers, in all societies, want their children to be educated, and live free from poverty and violence. No people on Earth yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude, or eagerly await the midnight knock of the secret police.

If anyone doubts this, let them look to Afghanistan, where the Islamic "street" greeted the fall of tyranny with song and celebration. Let the skeptics look to Islam's own rich history, with its centuries of learning, and tolerance and progress. America will lead by defending liberty and justice because they are right and true and unchanging for all people everywhere. (Applause.)

No nation owns these aspirations, and no nation is exempt from them. We have no intention of imposing our culture. But America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property; free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance. (Applause.)

America will take the side of brave men and women who advocate these values around the world, including the Islamic world, because we have a greater objective than eliminating threats and containing resentment. We seek a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror.

Excerpt from January 2002 SOTU.