And by wishful thinking author Clifford D. May means the fairy tale like liberal mythology of free and fair elections defeating Islamic Imperialism in some esoteric way, thus relieving free peoples everywhere from the terrible burden of actually fighting for the rights of others to enjoy the liberty we do in our own country. From the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies:

Osama bin Laden probably does not get home delivery of Parade but more than 30 million Americans do. And on the magazine’s cover last Sunday was the not-quite-smiling face of Benazir Bhutto, along with this confident quote: “I am what the terrorists most fear.”

By the time Bhutto’s image and words reached America’s breakfast tables, she was, of course, dead. The January 6 issue of the magazine had gone to press before Bhutto was assassinated on Dec. 27 during a campaign stop in northern Pakistan.

Not far from where she was killed are the “tribal areas” of Pakistan — a swath of wild, mountainous territory along the Afghanistan border where al-Qaeda and its allies hold sway. Bin Laden is believed to enjoy sanctuary there. If he and other terrorists did fear Bhutto, they evidently found an effective way to deal with their fear. To slightly paraphrase Joseph Stalin, the Soviet dictator and mass murderer: No woman, no problem.

Did Bhutto really believe she was more of a threat to the militant Islamists than they were to her? Perhaps what she intended to signal was that, should she take power, she’d lead an all-out military offensive against al-Qaeda in Pakistan. But it’s also possible that she was expressing the too-common illusion – implied by Parade magazine — that election campaigns are tantamount to democracy and an antidote for Islamist terrorism.

In November, Bhutto also said: “I don’t believe that a true Muslim will attack me. I believe Islam forbids suicide bombings.” Again, maybe she meant only to assert her interpretation of Koranic law. Surely she knew that wealthy, powerful and influential voices in the Muslim world argue that suicide bombings against infidels and apostates – including Muslim women who dare seek political power – are not merely permissible; they are a theological obligation.

He goes on to recount the brief but bloody history of Pakistan’s evolution from a state designed to protect the rights of all it’s citizens to a soon to be theocracy armed with Nuclear weapons. It’s a good read.

It seems to me though that Bhutto fell victim to the left’s naive vision of democracy as protector of rights. In it’s pure form democracy is simply a tyranny wherein a minority of people are always out voted by the majority and suffer under a tyranny of the masses. Democracy is useless without a dedication to personal liberty, with out a Republican structure where your rights and freedoms are guaranteed by law and cannot be overturned by a vote.

This is why we in America enjoy more freedom than our European cousins, because the “American Way” is to understand that individuals should not be subject to the whims of the masses. There are those in American that wish to change that of course, Mike Huckabee has recently proven Ron Paul’s fear of evangelical fascism correct with his talk of amending the constitution to bring it into line with “God’ Standards” and California is floating an proposal that peoples thermostats be controlled by the local government in an effort to fight global warming.

Both these things will be struck down by courts, because they break the law. If not the letter of it than the spirit of the law which disallows theocratic rule or government quarting themselves virtually in private houses. In Europe and many other democracies these types of bizarre measures are passed all the time, because European culture doesn’t respect the concept of individual freedom.

Islamist culture, collectivist, nihilistic and obsessed with stripping away mankind’s liberty, puts even less value of personal freedom, and a democratic election in radical Muslim areas will only enshrine Islamic imperialism. The world was shocked by Hamas winning elections in the Palestinian territories, but didn’t learn the lesson it should have taught.

Once Pakistan has a “free and fair” election, the world will see how wishful thinking about the power of pure democracy killed Bhutto, and eventually all of us.