THE NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD notices that democracy is breaking out in the mideast. Dale Franks notes that it wouldn’t have happened if we had followed some people’s advice . . . .

And Greg Djerejian observes:

These certainly ain’t the old Hama Rules (perhaps we’ll come to call them Martyr’s Square Rules)? In Hama, thousands were mowed down on the streets. Now an Arab leader will bow to the street? There’s a word for that. It’s called progress. And make no mistake about it, such words are partly a legacy of Baghdad.

Indeed. I guess there’s a reason why Josh Marshall is spending so much time on Social Security these days. Although even there, he should beware. . . .