The New York Times tries to protect the image of US diplomacy

Here, this article is a piece trash journalism.  It claims that the US has been ambivalent about Tunisian dictatorship all along but the record is clear: even if there were private musings about corruption in the the Tunisian government, there was never EVER a public word by any US official about the dictatorial rule of Bin `Ali.  In fact, in Wikileaks, a US diplomat said:  "An upbeat August 2008 cable giving Condoleezza Rice, then the secretary of state, a survey of Tunisia before a visit reported that “Tunisia styles itself ‘a country that works’ .” The writer added, “While Tunisians grumble privately about corruption by the first lady’s family, there is an abiding appreciation for Ben Ali’s success in steering his country clear of the instability and violence that have plagued Tunisia’s neighbors.”"