Of ridiculous myths and worse realities

Oh look, in the midst of the so-called "Arab Spring", there's a rather old democracy we always take for granted.

Near-complete results from Turkey's election show the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won a third term...More than 50 million people, about two-thirds of Turkey's population of 73 million, were eligible to vote in Sunday's election. NTV television said turnout was 84.5%.

Of course, Turkey's AKP party has its roots in Islamic faith. This leads many American conservatives to get the vapors and decry how reactionary they must...just must be.

Meanwhile, later today the Republican Presidential Candidates will assemble to debate whether physicians who perform abortions on victims of rape and incest deserve to be merely hung, or also drawn and quartered. Because they're part of the great non-extremist American political tradition.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]