This sentence evoked an outcry from President Bush, Secretary of State Rice and other officials within the United States and countries of Western Europe. And rightly so. After all, we thought we created a democratic government in Afghanistan. They did have elections. This isn’t how democracies behave.

In response to the international reaction, an Afghan appellate court dismissed the case not because of the outrageous charges, but for what lay people like to call “a legal technicality.” The appellate court ruled that there was insufficient evidence and returned the case to prosecutors for further investigation. In reality this was merely a fig leaf to placate the Washington. More than likely, it is only a matter of time until the defendant Abdul Rahman is permitted to leave the country and thus dissipate the situation.

This may be easier than it sounds. Muslim clerics in Afghanistan are incensed by the appellate court decision. They will weigh in heavily and generate public protests before Rahman is permitted to leave.

This sorry incident left me shaking my head and wondering what in the world American officials are thinking when they talk about bringing democracy to the Middle East. Do they really believe that it is possible to impose in a matter of months a totally foreign type of government which took centuries to incubate in Western Europe and in the United States? Do they believe that merely holding elections constitutes the creation of a democratic government? Isn’t one of the most basic aspects of democracy that individuals should have freedom of religion and choice? Can these possibly be squared with current dominant Islamic views?

Let’s get real. Democracy, as we know it, is not going to take hold in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt or any other Muslim Middle Eastern countries. To suggest that American troops are dying for this unattainable objective is a dismal situation.

This isn’t to say that we are incorrect in waging the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq. There are two valid reasons for being there, but they have nothing to do with democracy. The first is that this part of the world has become a focal point for the organization of terrorists such as Al Qaeda who are determined to attack the United States and Western Europe. It is nonsense to say that we are creating the terrorists by our actions. The attacks of 9/11 were perpetrated before we launched the war against Saddam Hussein.

Perhaps it’s coincidence, perhaps it’s good luck or perhaps it’s simply too soon to reach a conclusion. However, Al Qaeda at least seems to have been reduced in its effectiveness since the United States has launched its intensive military effort in the area.

The second reason for being there, and no one likes to talk about it, is the O word: Oil. We can discuss the subject or not, but our country is being held economic hostage by foreign oil producers. It’s not their fault. They are merely capitalizing on our own national lack of will and incredible stupidity for the last thirty years in refusing to face our constant energy crisis.

Unless and until we find a way to wean ourselves from huge quantities of imported oil, which seems unlikely to occur anytime soon, then our only other alternative is to make certain that those sources of foreign oil continue to flow, albeit at increasingly exorbitant prices. Al Qaeda terrorists, Muslim fundamentalists and disenfranchised Shiites, are all determined to disrupt the oil flow to the west as part of their plan to unseat traditional Sunni governments in the Arab world. If the United States does not have a military presence in the area, then attacks against oil facilities will increase and supply will be disrupted. It’s as simple as that.

Politicians in Washington have become quite adroit at putting on blinders and avoiding discussion of difficult situations, but the time has come for some honesty. Some Americans are dying so other Americans can fill the tanks of their SUVs with gasoline at a price of $3.00 a gallon, which will one day in the not too distant future seem very low.