HOPE FOR DEMOCRACY? Progress was made yesterday in the long struggle to bring full democracy to the United States of America. Yes, the House of Representatives passed a bill giving one Congressional vote to Washington, DC, the nation's capital.

The bill, passed by a 241-177 vote, provides for one voting DC representative and another from Utah in the House.

"This legislation corrects a serious flaw in our democracy," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat from California. "We will not rest until full voting representation in the House is granted to the District of Columbia."

Many people were encouraged by the promise of a continued peaceful transition to democracy in a country that has already spent billions of dollars and mobilized its soldiers to bring democracy to other countries. In the case of Iraq, the effort involved the creation of a new Iraqi constitution.

Yet the White House has threatened to veto the legislation, claiming it is unconstitutional. Furthermore, the bill may also face opposition in the Senate, where Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who supported the American invasion of Iraq, pledged to oppose the legislation on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

Previous coverage here.

Photo: David Marc Fischer