Monday, March 15, 2004

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Maneuver

" If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
--Obi-Wan Kenobi

Korean President Roh Moo Hyun, elected by a tide of anti-American sentiment after the death of two Korean girls hit by a US military vehicle, has been impeached and removed from office for a minor election violation. A Christian Science Monitor editorial contends that this will make Roh and his movement more powerful in the long run. CSM expects the public reaction to the unfair impeachment to carry them to victory in South Korea's April 15th elections (not dissimilar to the impact of Clinton's impeachment on the '98 mid-term elections). They contend that the empowerment of Roh's populist agenda will drive this quasi-democratic nation towards a true and healthy democracy. In a region filled with semi-democratic governments this would be welcome progress.

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