It is possible, indeed necessary, to say that India’s democracy has rarely been held up so forthrightly and with so much gusto as both an exemplar and a potential engine for transformation. George Bush concluded his India visit with a speech so ringing in its endorsement of India’s past, present and, most crucially, future that fantasists in this country may well start dreaming. Wake up, guys. This is not about India having arrived, with nothing left to do. This is about our discovering, after a very long time, what we can do, if we allow ourselves the chance. As long as we keep that in mind, we should have no hesitation in assessing Bush’s visit as perhaps the most important in recent times. We should have even less hesitation in accepting what he said — that he came here as a friend. He sounded like a friend, he dealt with us like a friend, even his reminders on practicing economic liberalism more vigorously were delivered in the friendliest of fashions.

Recognising that is crucial, given a national psyche that still sometimes tends to get wounded a little too quickly. The Bush administration is clearly trying to be very careful in not appearing to lecture India. Yes, he did mention Iran in the manner he always does: a country run by a minority of clerics, who suppress the people. But no, he didn’t at all indicate that he wants India’s foreign policy to see Iran in exactly the same way. He didn’t say he wanted India to be with him on all issues. He said India and America were already together on the most important issue: in how they value freedom.