Cautious optimism

I am cautiously optimistic about the prospects for tomorrow's elections in Iraq. I suspect that surprisingly high percentages of Kurds and Shiites will vote, rendering the participation of Iraq's non-Kurdish Sunni minority moot. (Most Kurds are Sunnis, but not ethnic Arabs.)

We shall have to see how the international press spins the story, but judging from this morning's CBS News coverage (featuring a surprisingly bad looking Dan Rather in Baghdad), the conclusions should follow along usual partisan lines. It was striking, comparing Fox's upbeat, "dawning of a new day for democracy" coverage versus CBS' grim, almost apocalyptic tone. Someone else will have to explain to me how America's liberals maneuvered themselves into a position where they are secretly (or not so secretly) hoping for anti-democratic terrorists in Iraq to prevail.

In the end, however, the only editorial opinion that will matter are those expressed by the Iraqi's themselves. Insha' Allah, they will be encouraged by the results.