How much pandering could one man do?

I suppose it's a little bit of a stretch but you could draw a parallel between the Hungarian uprising put down by the Soviets in 1956 and the occupation of Iraq. You have a ragtag group of militants trying to take power of their country--the Hungarians had far less bloodlust--from the puppet regime of a hegemony. Oh, wait a minute, Bush is saying the United States is Hungary? Talk about mixing analogies. How does that work?

BUDAPEST, June 22 — Fifty years after Hungarian partisans waged a bloody but unsuccessful uprising against Communist rule, President Bush came to this eastern European capital today to lay a bouquet at the Eternal Flame monument, but also to draw a comparison to the current war in Iraq.

"The sacrifice of the Hungarian people inspires all who love liberty," Mr. Bush said in a speech at Buda Castle on Gellert Hill, overlooking the Danube and the city below. He continued: "America honors your courage. We've learned from your example, and we resolve that when people stand up for their freedom, America will stand with them."

Bush might have no concept of history or context, but during the '56 uprising the Hungarians asked for help from the West and none came. In fact, there are some very poignant radio broadcasts of Hungarians--you can hear one by Imre Nagy here--asking the world for help as Russian troops stormed Budapest.

Cross posted from TDU.