From an article published in the Chicago Sun-Times on March 31st, and posted on the Cato Institute's website, "Bush Needs to Hear, Not Shun, World Critics":

[F]oreign observers do not share Bush's optimistic view of progress in the war. The administration might see Iraq as a fledgling democracy, but others fear a country on the verge of violent disintegration. "There is a danger of an ethnic war in Iraq," Jordan's King Abdullah warned during a recent visit to Turkey. "Iraq's neighbors cannot tolerate such a conflict."

Abdullah's apprehension highlights the challenge confronting the Bush administration. Bush has hailed the transformation of Iraq as a centerpiece of his administration's strategy in the Middle East. He has compared the situation in postwar Iraq to the successful transformation of Japan into a flourishing democracy after the Second World War.

If Abdullah is right, however, Iraq could spread instability throughout the area. The king's visit to Turkey indicates that these countries see a need for cooperation in anticipation of this impending danger.

And they are not alone in their misgivings. Indeed, the Bush administration's sunny portrayal of the war on terror is leading others to wonder whether it has become, in a word, delusional. "Every time there is a report of a violent attack in Iraq, you hear one-liners that suggest that the situation is improving," a leading Pakistani newspaper, Dawn, editorialized on the one-year anniversary of the start of the war. "Following Wednesday's [March 17] bombing, the White House spokesman said: 'Democracy is taking root in Iraq.' It is this approach of evading reality that has made Iraq the disaster it is today."

And it is that approach that has also led other people to question American leadership. People do not appreciate being misled, as even the president of Poland made clear following the election in Spain. They do not want to be misled about the causes of war, and they do not want to be misled about the way the war is going.

The Bush administration has correctly identified the promotion of democracy as a core focus of U.S. foreign policy. Democratic government is based on the idea that disagreement is legitimate, which is why we have the concept of the loyal opposition. But the administration sees any opposition to its policies as disloyal, or worse. Its position has been: We lead, you follow.

The Spanish election is a signal that such a policy will no longer work. If the Bush administration does not recognize that, we can only expect the gulf between the United States and its allies to widen, and the war on terror to suffer as a result.