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The Only Directly Elected Leader in the Middle East?
His name is Yassir Arafat, so says Noam Chomsky. Well, I am not a Chomsky fan but he does have a point on this. As to whether Arafat provides a good model for Bush's master plan to bring Wilsonian democracy to the Middle East, I will let others comment on that.

Arafar

1. Hitler was initially elected too (though, yes, he was later appointed via a series of backroom deals, intrigues, and betrayals).

2. The last time the Palestinians held a free election was I think in 1995.

3. Like other Arab leaders, Arafat is still a dictator.