we're for democracy, right?

[Danzig]

http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae6...eb9e180215cc32


now, bahrain is an ally. we've had the fleet there for a while now. years, actually. this is where my husband stayed while waiting for his frigate to come to port, 26 years ago.
but, they are a monarchy. their citizens want a democracy. this is yet another story about a country where they don't support democracy, but they are a supporter of ours. so, we turn our back on democracy to keep this toehold. short-term thinking? are we too worried about now, and not forward-looking as we should be? do our foreign policy 'experts' think monarchies will last for long in the middle east?