Azerbaijanis for freedom

Via Gateway Pundit, an article and photos about Azerbaijanis demonstrating for freedom:

Thousands of opposition protesters chanted "Freedom!" and carried pictures of President Bush as they marched across Azerbaijan's capital Saturday, urging the government of this U.S. ally to step down and allow free parliamentary elections this year.

The massive rally in Baku was the largest opposition demonstration in the former Soviet republic since October 2003, when one person died and nearly 200 were injured in clashes between police and demonstrators protesting vote-rigging in the presidential election.

Tensions have been building steadily in this oil-rich Caspian Sea nation in the run-up to parliamentary elections set for November, leading some observers to predict that Azerbaijan could see a massive uprising similar to those that toppled unpopular regimes in other ex-Soviet nations of Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan during the past 18 months.

The Anchoress and I have the same reaction: isn't it just interesting as all get out that the protesters are holding up pictures of George W. Bush on their posters?

Think about it: in the context of today, if you're living under the bootheel of a repressive government and you work up the courage to openly demonstrate, who's your message going to be aimed at? You only have one agenda — you want help in freeing the people of your country (along with yourself, of course). So you aim your message at the one person or country that you believe will be most effective in helping you. The people of Azerbaijan apparently understand that that means George W. Bush and the United States. Not Putin and Russia, but also not...Chirac and France, Schroeder and Germany, and so on. No, you don't look to their ilk for help in freeing yourself. You look to the United States and its leader.

These pictures are good evidence that the people who really matter have figured out how the world really works. Despite the best efforts of the MSM to "educate" them.