The world’s largest democracy votes for a new direction

The Economist has the best article today on the results of India’s elections: “A stunning defeat for Vajpayee.” John Miller in NRO’s Corner thinks it’s somewhat of a setback for the U.S.: “[Vajpayee’s] nationalist government, an ally in the war on terror, had strong support from the country's booming middle class, whose success is something both Indians and Americans should celebrate. Now power swings away from it and toward a coalition led by Sonia Gandhi, whose strength derives in part from India's left-wing and the rural poor.”