A good election

[Warning! Political post - not about gaming]

Next week I'll spend in the USA again, from Monday to Friday. And I'm going there with a smile on my face, because I think the country just had one of the best elections ever. Not because the Democrats "won", I don't believe that either party is much better than the other. But because the election was a very good example of democracy working: The voters clearly expresses what they wanted, and they got it.

Defense secretary is not an elected position. But it was pretty obvious that the voters were unsatisfied with the level of success in the war in Iraq. The "stay the course" vs. "cut and run" debate was silly, because both options were bad. But even Rumsfeld had to admit that "I will say this -- it is very clear that the major combat operations were an enormous success. It's clear that in Phase 2 of this, it has not been going well enough or fast enough." With this Phase 2 now going on for years, at enourmous cost in lives and money, voters demanded a rethink of strategy, plus the head of the guy responsible, and they got it with Rumsfeld's resignation.

The other big issue on voters mind was corruption, with Republicans having been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, not to mention page's underpants. Again I don't think that Democrats are fundamentally better. But power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and having the same party in control of all branches of the legislature for many years is not a good idea. Changes in power, and even what the French call "cohabitation", the president and congress being of different parties, is not a bad thing.

Special kudos go to George Allen, who wisely decided not to become the Al Gore of Virginia. By conceding he sent out a clear message that, small as it is, 0.3% difference is larger than the error margin of a vote count. Recounting wouldn't have changed the result, and a lengthy legal process would only have served to cast doubt on the electoral process, and make people think that their votes weren't counting.

Add the highest voter turnout since over 25 years for a midterm election, and it is clear that the one winner of this election was democracy itself. America has stepped away from the dangers of becoming a one-party state, positively differentiating itself from China. Now the USA just needs to fix some minor problems of voting machines and gerrymandering, and they will be again the most democratic nation on earth. The presidential election of 2008 is wide open and will be very interesting. The future is looking bright.