Eager for their first taste of a free vote in decades, Egyptians lined up by the hundreds Saturday to vote on constitutional amendments sponsored by the ruling military that critics fear could propel the country's largest Islamist group to become Egypt's most dominant political force.
The nationwide referendum is the first major test of the country's transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced longtime leader Hosni Mubarak to step down five weeks ago, handing the reins of power to the military.
Clearly, Egyptians want democracy even though most may not grasp what it really means other than the departure of Mubarak. Sure, Islamists could exploit voting the way the nutjobs did in Gaza, but that's all the more reason for American and the West to stay involved to teach them how to elect good men.
