Kim Jong Il laid to rest speculation about his health with a triumphant return to parliament Thursday for his appointment to a third term as North Korea's supreme leader.
Kim, solemnly presiding over the opening session of the reclusive communist country's rubber-stamp legislature, was making his first major public appearance since reportedly suffering a stroke last August. He appeared considerably thinner and older than nine months ago.
Hopefully the recounts and court challenges won't rise to the levels of Minnesota wrangling.
If non-Western people don't value democracy, why do thug states go through the motions of Western-style democracy?
I mean, if Asian values that emphasize being ruled by your betters (whether by birth or party membership) are so cherished, why pretend to have free votes?
