When I read this article about the state of the ANC in South Africa, I can't help but draw parallels to the United States and the 1800 election. Mandela would be the George Washington of the ANC, although GW didn't survive to see the fraying into partisanship in its actual implementation, though he certainly foresaw it. I'm guessing the reminder was also triggered by my morning reading of the latest NY Times Book Review, which included the new book about the 1800 elections, A Magnificent Catastrophe. So the question is: Is the current state of the ANC a part of the natural evolution of democracy, or is it something else entirely? Depends on your definition of "is?"