The current US administration is intent on spreading democracy in the Middle East, and promotes this as the inherent right of every human being on the face of the earth, and especially in the Middle East. Two reports in today's NYT cast doubts on the intention of the administration. The first (by Steven Erlanger) talks about US and Israeli plans to oust Hamas. The second (by Michael Slackman) describe US reaction to Mubarak's government plans to postpone local elections for two years.