Although Russia isn't wholly in the right, everyone's heart goes out to a nation fighting such merciless terrorists.

Putin is responding to the intensifying Chechen terrorist campaign by turning back the clock on Russia's democracy. Putin wants to pass a law so that he has the authority to choose governors and that districts do not have their own legislators. This seems like yet another case of war being the enemy of democracy.

I don't think there's any chance that an American president will start centrally choosing governors, and I seriously doubt any major politician will advocate proportional representation here (note, I think PR in the USA would be a great democratic improvement), but I do think that if terrorist attacks become more common America will be quickly become a less democratic place. I think we're already seeing it, with Cheney's declaration that a Kerry victory will assure a catastrophic event.





- posted by jsbennett70 @ 7:18 PM