http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50610FE3F5911738DDDA00A94DF405B858CF1D3
"Though not one of the greatest political philosophers, he was a man of particularly high aims to whom our nation owes an especial dept."
It seems now almost 200 years after Tocqueville came to America we are even more grateful for his detailed analysis of early american democracy. I find it inspiring that such an old book, and such an old constitution can remain relevant in such a rapidly evolving globalized world. In many ways it shows that the american political system can (or at least has) endure of global instability.
However i feel some negative aspects of american government have endured election with the good. For example Tocqueville mentions how reelection reduces the ability of a politician to lead effectively and make actions constructive to society. This is because the personal need to be reelected replaces a politician's desire to serve society.
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