Laura Bush in Afghanistan

By DEB RIECHMANN

Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Under heavy protection in this dusty, dangerous capital, Laura Bush expressed support Wednesday for Afghan women freed from Taliban repression and urged more educational opportunities and greater rights. Afghanistan's leader said the first lady's visit mattered more than international aid.

Mrs. Bush met with women who are training to be teachers and gave presents to Afghan children on the street. She visited President Hamid Karzai and thanked U.S. troops for bringing down rulers who kept girls from school...

"We are only a few years removed from the rule of the terrorists, when women were denied education and every basic human right,'' Mrs. Bush said at a teacher training institute. "That tyranny has been replaced by a young democracy, and the power of freedom is on display across Afghanistan.

"We must be mindful though, that democracy is more than just elections," she said. "The survival of a free society ultimately depends on the participation of all its citizens, both men and women.''

..."This matters much more than hundreds of millions of dollars," Karzai said of Mrs. Bush's visit, although the fragile democracy is heavily dependent on international aid. "Much more."

...Mrs. Bush ate with soldiers at Bagram Air Base and told them she had found great appreciation for their efforts. "Thanks to you, millions of little girls are going to school in this country,'' she said.

Millions of women and girls have returned to work and school since the Taliban were ousted. Equality is embedded in a new constitution, and some women have abandoned the head-to-toe public veiling that was mandatory under the Islamist government.

...President Bush said his wife called him before she left Kabul. The president said Afghans are showing people who live under oppression an example of the benefits of freedom.

"Think about a society that has gone from a Taliban-dominated society - where if you were a woman who spoke your mind, you were taken to a public square and whipped - to a free society in which women are now being trained to be able to follow their hearts and teach,'' he said during a visit to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "That's the difference between tyranny and freedom."
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Mrs. Bush's visit to Afghanistan hasn't received much attention by the MSM, which is understandable.

Liberal outlets wouldn't want to highlight that the first lady made a potentially dangerous trip to speak to American troops and to women who were oppressed under Taliban rule. The message is too hopeful. It would force them to focus on the positive accomplishments of the Bush administration.

It's funny how often the MSM cited John Kerry's campaign claim that Bush had neglected Afghanistan, and now they are neglecting to give notice of Mrs. Bush's visit to the region.

"This matters much more than hundreds of millions of dollars," Karzai said of Mrs. Bush's visit, although the fragile democracy is heavily dependent on international aid. "Much more."

At least President Karzai acknowledged the importance of the first lady's trip.

What's good for Afghanistan and its people is bad for the Democrats, party of Defeatists.