Michael Kelly has an article worth reading here.

His most interesting, and telling, comment is this :

"The United States is for democracy and order, not necessarily always in that order."

Not that there's anything wrong with that, as Jerry Seinfeld might say. We seem to be getting more support in our War on Terrorism from non-democratic regimes like Pakistan than bastions of democracy like France. And that's just fine. We find ourselves in a time in which we must be uber-pragmatists, though still remain anchored by certain principles. If a military dictatorship like the one in Pakistan is offering help, then we should gladly accept it. And after things have calmed down some, we can push for democratic reforms in that nation. But not prematurely. Success in our new war depends on an almost oxymoronic mixture of humility and boldness that was decidedly lacking in the Clinton Administration. Bush, so far, seems up to the task. Let's hope that continues for the duration.