Why does Hamas victory in Palestine come as a surprise?

Three years ago, I watched a report on a television news program that discussed the significant positive contribution that Hamas was making to the Palestinian people. Many communities were turning to Hamas for social assistance and for opportunities to move forward. These people were choosing Hamas, a known terrorist organization, over the more acceptable Palestinian Authority and its political arm, Fatah, largely because Hamas was actually able to get things done. There was no infighting and the leadership seemed to have the Palestinian people constantly in mind when making decisions, unlike the PA who seemed to have a greater political agenda.

Why are we suddenly surprised, then, that Hamas won the first democratic election in Palestine? Why does this information come as such a shocking factor to the current President and his administration? Perhaps it is because we do not really understand the Middle East at all. Maybe the neo-conservative movement never had a grasp on the realities of the world. Maybe the major players in the Bush administration are too wrapped up in ideology to accept reality.

The argument can be made that the United States should not deal with Hamas because of their history of terrorism, and of their desire to see Israel destroyed. I would argue that we cannot end the relationship with the Palestinians, that we started building after the death of Yasser Arafat, because of this sudden democratic shift to the leadership of Hamas. Certainly we must walk a careful line with Hamas, but we cannot disregard the peace process, especially now that the leadership of Israel is also in flux.