After a little more reading it has become clear that there are two parallel yet separate versions of Modernization theory. The one that seemed to garner the most favor with the Vietnam era crowd was Daniel Lerner’s version which was a vague, teleological concept of the stages that society pass through similar to Marx’s Historical Materialism. The more modern (pun intended) version of it that is advocated by the new generation of policymakers is the version that deals specifically with the transition to democracy. A short synopsis of it can be found at:
http://democracy.livingreviews.org/i.../lrd-2009-4/13
Sorry if my ramblings created any confusion.