This is how the New York Times defends the Tunisian henchman of Bourquiba and Bin Ali

"but he retired in 1991, before the worst excesses of Mr. Ben Ali’s corrupt and increasingly authoritarian tenure." Yes, before 1991, Tunisia was a democracy and free of corruption. This is journalism?  But look at the author of the article? She is the same correspondent who declared the last election of Hamid Karzai as honest and free of fraud. Kid you not.