Dominoes, Anyone?

"The terrorists are fighting freedom with all their cunning and cruelty because freedom is their greatest fear. And they should be afraid, because freedom is on the march." --George W. Bush

At a press conference on April 7, 1954, President Eisenhower used an analogy to explain his view of the strategic importance of Southeast Asia to the US.

Question--Robert Richards, Copley Press:

Mr. President, would you mind commenting on the strategic importance of Indochina to the free world? I think there has been, across the country, some lack of understanding on just what it means to us.

President Eisenhower:

You have, of course, both the specific and the general when you talk about such things.

First of all, you have the specific value of a locality in its production of materials that the world needs.

Then you have the possibility that many human beings pass under a dictatorship that is inimical to the free world.

Finally, you have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the "falling domino" principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences.

Now, with respect to the first one, two of the items from this particular area that the world uses are tin and tungsten. They are very important. There are others, of course, the rubber plantations and so on.

Then with respect to more people passing under this domination, Asia, after all, has already lost some 450 million of its peoples to the Communist dictatorship, and we simply can't afford greater losses.

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Due to the policies of the Bush Administration, free elections have been held in Afghanistan, Iraq, and by the Palestinians.

Today in Lebanon, Prime Minister Omar Karami announced:

"I am keen the government will not be a hurdle in front of those who want the good for this country.

"I declare the resignation of the government that I had the honour to head. May God preserve Lebanon."

The White House views this as an opportunity for a "truly representative" government to be established in Lebanon and for Syrian troops to withdraw from the country.

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Although it's in its early stages, democracy in the Middle East is on the march. In this case, countries aren't falling to Communism. The people are demanding freedom. THE DOMINOES OF DEMOCRACY ARE IN MOTION.