Bob Edgar has called for radical change with Common Cause's Fresh Start for Democracy Campaign.  GrannyD, Doris Haddock, veteran champion of election and campaign finance reform, likes to characterize what is needed as a "velvet revolution," a term borrowed from the Ukrainian transformative election of 2004.  

This kind of revolution implies the absence of the weapons of war, but no less the fervor.  Edgar's emphasis on urgency reflects that fervor and the immediacy of the need for change.  He speaks of 2008 being the year in which "we have got a fundamental choice to make."  That choice, to be embraced, has to be predicated on a truthful understanding of what went so terribly wrong and why.  Understanding the past is an important step in formulating enduring change for the future.

A revealing example of the diabolical nature of our democracy's recent decline and the intricate strategies used by those responsible can be examined through the lens of the theft of the 2000 and 2004 elections and is continuing today.

One only needs to be reminded of Orwell's 1984, to begin to understand what is going on in plain sight.  In a recent priceless example to divert attention from the truth, the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorialized on Nov. 24 that:

John Fund is a sophisticated journalist, so it surprised me that in his commentary yesterday on Opinion Journal he confuses the issue of "voter fraud," a minute problem, with the more massive problem of "election fraud," which was the actual issue brought before Congress on Jan. 6, 2005 because of the contested Ohio elections.

Although he cites some examples of alleged voter fraud that have come to light recently, I doubt many of those phony registrants were able to actually vote because of the transparency of the system of checks and balances which catches most of the errors in registration before election day.

On the other hand, as he is aware, there was extensive evidence of anomalies from Florida to Ohio and New Mexico in the 2004 election.  But because of the non-transparency of the voting machines and the lack of checks and balances on that system, and because of not-so-subtle voter suppression, we may never know the extent of the criminality in the 2004 election.  However, there are cases still pending in court, that if allowed to go forward, will prove significant fraud in that election.  Who was responsible remains to be seen.