Democracy on the March UPDATED

Remember the much ballyhooed nonsense by the Bush administration about freedom on the march in the Middle East? One of the places cited was Egypt. Hosni Mubarak had announced competitive elections for the first time in forever, and everyone was getting all misty eyed over the change in dynamics in the region.

Well, they held the election yesterday. But the media (and Bush administration) forgot to mention a few small details, from Slate's "Today's Papers":

Everybody mentions yesterday's first multicandidate—but far less then free—elections in Egypt. International election observers weren't allowed to observe. And the NYT says that at many polling stations, "Mubarak supporters literally stood over voters as they cast their ballots."

On the silver-linings side, Mubarak's critics were allowed to protest in downtown Cairo and complain about the rigging. "We are kind of shocked they didn't beat us," said one protester.

Also, no one has noted that the opposition candidates were chosen by Mubarak.

Democracy on the March!

UPDATE: I keep reading how about the vote is a "step forward". Well, that's one way to look at it. Another way is that it's window dressing for a dictator to continue getting foreign aid and support.

UPDATE II: Another of Bush's examples.