A Lesson in Democracy

Egyptian Nobel laureate ElBaradei has fallen by the wayside in his country's political race. Granted that the military regime hasn't lived up to its promises -- the reason he has given for withdrawing his candidacy -- but it seems that his support wasn't what he expected. There's been also talk that he has lived too long abroad, which has put him our of touch with some aspects of Egyptian reality. All that may very well be the real reason for quitting. Maybe he thought that the Egyptian people would acclaim him as their leader, making an election unnecessary. Or he expected to win in a landslide. When it became clear that none of this was going to happen, the former diplomat became discouraged.

Democracy is tough.

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