One of the main points of the war with Iraq was to try to create a Muslim democracy which would be our ally. We already have one of those in the region. Or perhaps, had:

Political analysts in Turkey are pessimistic about the trip’s prospects, some going so far as to pronounce the long-standing US-Turkish alliance as "dead." The souring of relations has prompted a vigorous debate in Turkey on the country’s strategic priorities.

Of course, the Iraq war itself is an aggravating factor here, as Dubya's crew expressed great disappointment that billions of dollars worth of bribes weren't enough to convince their democratic Muslim ally to ignore the will of its people in favor of Dubya's fiat.

But we'll have a thriving new Muslim democratic ally in Iraq any day now, right? So we at least come out even. Spiffy!

via Hesiod.