The Many Faces of Democracy

Today, we present Bush's definition:

Protesters Attacked in Cairo

"Officials of President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party, or NDP, led hundreds of young men who attacked anti-government demonstrators. Journalists and witnesses at the scene of several incidents, including this correspondent, saw riot police create corridors for stick-wielding men to freely charge the demonstrators. Women were particular targets, with at least five pulled from the mass of mostly male demonstrators on the steps of the Journalists' Syndicate in central Cairo and subjected to slaps, punches, kicks and groping. The blouses of at least two were ripped."

"By about 6 p.m., the riot police and the NDP contingent abandoned the Journalists' Syndicate building. The men who had done the beating were transported away in the same big metal vans used by the riot police.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, asked about the violence in an interview with Agence France-Presse, said, "I've not seen the reports that you're talking about today." She added, "We have said to the Egyptians that this process needs to be as open and as forward-leaning as possible, because political reform is a necessity for Egypt. Now, they are taking steps forward. Not everything moves at the same speed, and there are going to be different speeds in the Middle East."

Cairo Woman Attacked by Mob

After the two-day visit of first lady Laura Bush this week, opposition groups expressed concern that the U.S. government had abandoned the cause of political reform in Egypt. On Monday, Bush praised Mubarak for taking a "wise and bold" step toward democracy with his proposal for multi-candidate elections.

On Thursday, however, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, condemned the attacks on Kifaya. "I think our view is very well known when it comes to freedom of assembly, and freedom of assembly by opposition parties and critics of those in power is important when it comes to conducting free elections," McClellan said.

Egyptian state television and government newspapers reported nothing about the opposition demonstrations and the violent response to them