Catching up with history II

Austin Bay writes that the Washington Post and NY Times editorial pages are catching on to tipping points leaning toward democracy in the Middle East: the Iraqi election, Lebanese reaction to the Syrian-backed assassination (and the resignation of the Syrian-backed Lebanese government), and the Israel-Palestine situation post-Arafat. Another is Syria's decision to pull out of Lebanon (although no timetable), and Syria's turning over members of the Baathist regime who (until now) had been safe-harbored in Syria.
Money quote:

Read my column from December 2004, about the looming revolt in the Middle East. The opportunities for genuine change were no secret, they were obvious. Moreover, those doing the tipping saw the goals and paid the price. These opportunities were earned with tough, visionary US leadership, smart diplomacy, and the sweat and blood of coalition troops and the Iraqi people. Here's a bandwagon I'll join: Give the Iraqi people the Nobel Peace Prize.

One of Bay's readers notes: "The Syrians seem to have caught on more quickly than the Democratic Party. They demonstrated that by handing over most of the Baathist leadership that was directing the insurgency." Although there will surely be setbacks, democracy is truly on the march. And we don't have Democrats to thank for that.