We all saw the culmination of the American democratic process yesterday with the inauguration of President Bush. But Thursday was also a great day for the Ukraine. The Supreme Court of Ukraine affirmed Viktor Yushchenko’s election victory as president.

This is great news for Ukrainians, Eastern Europeans who have long sought independence from Mother Russia, and indeed good news for the world. But Yushchenko’s victory didn’t come easy.

Ukraine’s oligarchs oligarchs and Russia’s ex-KGB leaders tried everything to steal the elections, including poisoning Yushchenko and committing all sorts of voting improprieties, but it backfired. After oligarchy candidate Viktor Yanukovych’s first “win,” opposition protests nearly shut down Kiev, parliament dismissed Yanukovych’s government, and the Supreme Court ruled that Yanukovych’s victory was “fraudulent.”

Yanukovych has only conceded defeat “grudgingly.” He filed all sorts of appeals after Yushchenko won in a “much fairer” polling round. According to the BBC,

"The right of force has won against the force of the law," Mr Yanukovych said, referring to his rival's mass rallies.

"I will not leave politics and will do everything to restore justice," Mr Yanukovych said in his Donetsk stronghold. His speech was broadcast on Ukrainian television.

Yanukovych made no mention of the widespread fraud documented in the election he “won.” Is it a bad thing that Yushchenko was able to martial massive popular support? Yanukovych never turned out the crowds that his opponent did.

Democracy is on the march, despite what the doomsayers believe. They would have you ignore the democratic elections in Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Romania, the Ukraine – even in the Palestinian territories. They would have you ignore the inevitable elections to be held in Iraq next week.

I’m just plain tired of listening to the Left’s constant hand wringing. President Bush is now being criticized by the Left for being “over-ambitious” in his inaugural speech regarding spreading democracy. Such a short memory the Left has. After all, wasn’t it a Democratic president who spoke the following words at his own inauguration?

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge -- and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.

These words were spoken by none other than John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961. Is it somehow different when a Republican president takes such a stance?