What Our Political Process Has Wrought
For those of you whom, like Michelle Obama, who are “pretty cynical about the political process”, let me put things into perspective for you.
It is thanks to our political process that over 8 million people who have never voted freely before in their lives, voted in Afghanistan in 2004. This woman, the first Afghan woman to cast a free ballot in the entire history of her country, did so thanks to our political process; the process about which Michelle Obama couldn’t summon even a glimmer of pride.
And how about this Reuters photo? This is a voter who had also never voted freely before. She, and over 12 million others, went to the polls uncoerced for the first time in their lives as well. They did it not once, but twice. They ratified the first ever constitution approved by the people of an Arab nation. Those things happened because of our American political process; because we voters made our voices heard and backed the man who stubbornly refused to abandon them to the wolves ravening all around them.
It seems to me that over 20 million people have tasted freedom for the very first time because of our political process. I’m only sorry that some can not look beyond their own selfish ambitions to see the great things our nation has done, and continues to do. It is a testament to our politics that we have helped the Afghans and Iraqis accomplish such a great thing. It’s a greater testament that we will, in a few short months, peacefully transfer power to another person who will have to decide whether to stand beside them or leave them to the Islamists.
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Category: No More Tyrants, The 2008 Horse Race
