Reply #4: Certainly. [View All]

[Igel]

I'd write more, but only if I could write much, much more. So I'll leave it at that.

"The US might now seem hypocritical to many Arabs - encouraging democracy in the Middle East, while rejecting the choices that result from its exercise." Yes, they might, but then those Arabs would be showing they need to grow up. One might encourage free elections and respect the results without necessarily approving and countenancing the results. Similarly, you might respect the decisions your son makes concerning college, religion, sexual partner(s), job ... without paying his tuition, going to worship with him, inviting his partner(s) to stay with you, or being proud of his job. The distinction is not trivial, nor is it terribly hard to understand.