There may be practical reasons for the Obama administration to support Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's victory in a referendum on numerous constitutional changes that opponents charge is little better than a "back door Islamist coup." After all, the striped pants set at the State Department abhors instability in an ally more than just about anything - including, apparently, an attempt by Erdogan to establish Islamic law-lite in Turkey.Paul Mirengoff at Powerline: Erdogan's party has deep Islamic roots but, as J.E. Dyer points out, has been stymied to some degree in carrying out its Islamic vision by a combination of the courts and the military.The reforms will seriously reduce these checks (for example, the constitutional court has been expanded from 11 to 17 judges, with the Prime Minister to select 14 of them). They are thus democratic in a sense, but they are also ominous given Erdogan's lack of respect for free speech, a free press, and women's rights. Dyer is thus...(Read Full Post)