I was reading through the transcript of Bush's State of the Union address (I still can't stomach actually listening to him preach), and I really got the sense that it's the Crusades all over again. It's as if these urges - on both sides - never disappeared, they simply lay dormant waiting for someone to come along and open the box. Now, America wants to spread "freedom" throughout the Middle East. But, it's the same tired old theme: the West knows best, the East knows least. The West thinks it knows best the ways by which people in the East should live their lives and organize their societies. Only difference is that this time, instead of trying to convert the Muslims to Christianity by force, we're trying to convert theocrats to democrats by force. "Open your heart to Jesus" has been transmuted into "open the door to freedom".