So it looks like democracy is a done deal in Afghanistan. (hat tip Instapundit) Karzai has enough votes to win after 95% of the ballots are counted that he won't go below 50%, a requirement to prevent a run off.

But is it a real democracy. Here is my tabulation of their scores on basis of 10 being perfection:
Winning candidate got less than 100% of the vote. Score: 10 (Democracies don't attempt this laugh test.)
Just about everyone ran for the presidency except those possibly forced off the ballot by another candidate. Score: 10 (This will come. Practice, practice, practice!)
Party volunteer intimidation: instances of stolen or defaced signs, confrontations, beatings, etc. Score: 1 (Requires mingling of population.)
Candidate intimidation: vandalism at various party headquarters by other party regulars. Score: 2 (
Voter initimidation: incidents of bullying at the polls. Score: 10 (Taliban doesn't count and didn't, either.)
Corruption: rumors of crack for vote exchanges. Score: 0 (Too big in export value to be wasted here.)
Fraud I: dead people registered. Score: 10 (Luck due to their first registration drive in history.)
Fraud II: voting based on ficitious addresses. Score: 8 (Do they have addresses there besides city names? I'll give them a break on this.)
Fraud III: multiple voting based on multiple addresses. Score: 10 (Considering the waits and long walks to polling places as well as no reported instances of more votes than registrations, it's a good show.)
Fraud IV: multiple voting attempts based on stupidity of voter. Score: 10 (Again, no reports of voters turned away for obviously fake beards, mustaches, or badly forged X's, .)
Legal suits I: lawyers honing skills in race or ethnic baiting tactics. Score: 10 (Too few lawyers trying to make a living.)
Legal suits II: lawyers honing skills in extra-legislating tactics. Score: 9 (Too few lawyers with experience in these skills. See also Court Interference I, II, and III.)
Court Interference I: Stop something. Score: 10 (Too short a legislative history for lawyers to develop conflicting laws on which to base ridculous motions that judges can justify as not completely idiotic and, therefore, requires stopping it.)
Court Interference II: Change something. Score: 10 (Too short a legislative history for lawyers to develop conflicting laws on which to base ridculous motions that judges can justify as not completely idiotic and, therefore, requires changing it.)
Court Interference III: Add something. Score: 10 (Too short a legislative history for lawyers to develop conflicting laws on which to base ridculous motions that judges can justify as not completely idiotic and, therefore, requires adding it.)
Courting Approval: UN observation. Score 0 (The whole country should have told the UN observers to bug off, which is one true sign of a people devoted to real democracy.)

Okay, this is a lousy, grumpy, not so coherent summary of the what took place in Afghanistan in relation to what is going on here now. I'm tired. You could note, as I did, that it went really well there. But you could also argue that the election in Afghanistan was a farce and we should wait until the "George Washington" of Afghanistan steps down and a real election takes place to see just how well they can handle democracy. Seriously, the election in Afghanistan just wasn't even human.