Other than his moving speeches after 9/11, George W. Bush has never spoken better than he just did to the UN General Assembly. Read it.  It will be seen as one of the historic documents of this age, the equivalent of Reagan's "Tear down this wall" speech at the Berlin Wall.

Reagan's speech shocked the New York Times at the time, and this one will, too. Bush gave an absolutely straightforward defense of liberty. And in front of all the UN diplomats and national leaders, he spoke straight to the people of all the troubled countries of the Islamic Middle East. This is a terrible insult to the terror regimes, who were ignored.

Bush told the people of Iran that they could choose freedom if they ignored the vicious propaganda of the regime. To the Lebanese he clearly chose sides for the Cedar Revolution and against Hezb'allah, a "state within a state." To the miserable peoples of Darfur he pronounced the taboo word "genocide," a poke in the eye to all the feckless UN members who have been blocking that simple word to describe the jihad war against the helpless non—Muslims of Sudan.

Bush was also absolutely straightforward about the Israel—Palestine struggle, telling the Palestinians that they could have a state of their own if they recognized Israel's right to exist. He recognized the suffering on both sides. He condemned the propaganda of death that keeps the Palestinians in subjection.

This is an extraordinary statement by the President of the Unites States, an answer to all the critics since 9/11. To the New York Times and its devoted followers, Bush said the most shocking thing of all at the very end.

"God bless."

James Lewis    9 19 06