A comment not on the news biz but on the quality of thought among the elites:
William Safire's column on Iraq in this morning's New York Times equates elections with democracy.
Now Safire is not only intelligent and well-connected but a real conservative. So i simple-mindedness on his part is discouraging.
Isn't it obvious that elections, even if free and fair, do not add up to democracy unless accompanied by restrictions on majority will, protection of individual and minority rights and - most importantly - a spirit of toleration?
Guess not.
Incidentally, the Supreme Court's decision not to review Albuquerque's campaign spending limits means that Americans with money have more "free speech" than other Ameircans. This is conventional, of course - the quality of American justice and health care and you-name-it also depends on how much we can spend. But it does suggest our own democracy is far from perfect.