I posted this over at Winds of Change and feel it is so important it is worth risking Fred's wrath (or veto) with the crosslink: This is the most encouraging thing I've heard about the Iraqi elections - not just the high turnout, but this account by Mohammed and Oscar at Iraq the Model:
The first thing we saw this morning on our way to the voting center was a convoy of the Iraqi army vehicles patrolling the street, the soldiers were cheering the people marching towards their voting centers then one of the soldiers chanted "vote for Allawi" less than a hundred meters, the convoy stopped and the captain in charge yelled at the soldier who did that and said:
"You're a member of the military institution and you have absolutely no right to support any political entity or interfere with the people's choice. This is Iraq's army, not Allawi's".
This was a good sign indeed and the young officer's statement was met by applause from the people on the street.
'Democracy' (as in 'everyone can vote') is not a magic bullet. Voters who are not informed or not committed to a whole set of principles can impose a tyranny of the masses, can be manipulated .... but a mature understanding of representative government under law -- THAT is the heart of freedom.
UPDATE: I should add that one of the great contributions of the U.S. Military Academy is that it produced, from its founding in 1802, an officer corps whose loyalty was to the country as a whole and to the Constitution rather than to individual states, religions or ethic orgins. That loyalty was deeply tested during the Civil War and one of the most moving places at West Point is the Reconciliation Walk which documents how those who fought on both sides extended forgiveness and a commitment to national unity in the years afterwards.
The non-political nature of our military -- which is deeply engrained in regulations and culture both -- has been a key element in the success of our political system.
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