Let the Damascus spring flower

What a wonderful speech by Dr Rice in Cairo:

'For 60 years my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East – and we achieved neither. Now we are taking a different course.'
'One hundred and seventy-nine Syrian academics and human rights activists are calling upon their government to 'let the Damascus spring flower, and let its flowers bloom.' Syria's leaders should embrace this call, and learn to trust their people.'

Resources: CNN.com - Rice speech promotes democracy in Egypt - Jun 21, 2005 // State Dept press release (full text of speech) // Muslim American Society // BBC NEWS: Syrian activists call for reform this is where the bit about the flowers blooming comes from) // The Diplomatic Times Review: Condoleeza Rice And The Muslim Brotherhood
Blog link: normblog: Reversals
Previous: Chomsky and Israel, Ecuador double standards, Uzbekistan double standards, Izzy-Pal, Gujarat genocide