Rice should apply her logic about Russia here

[usregimechange]

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- The Russian government under Vladimir Putin has amassed so much central authority that the power-grab may undermine Moscow's commitment to democracy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday.

"In any country, if you don't have countervailing institutions, the power of any one president is problematic for democratic development," Rice told reporters after meeting with human-rights activists. "I think there is too much concentration of power in the Kremlin. I have told the Russians that. Everybody has doubts about the full independence of the judiciary. There are clearly questions about the independence of the electronic media and there are, I think, questions about the strength of the Duma," said Rice, referring to the Russian parliament.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/13/rice.russia.ap/index.html

Rice is correct, although her logic should also be applied here. I would say that it is much less likely to occur here but if I were to say that, would I lose the very alertness that other free people have lost due to nationalism just prior to the death of freedom? Has it already died?

[Swamp Rat]

1. How ironic.