Steyn Gets It Right; As Boxer, Kennedy & Kerry Get It Wrong

Mark Steyn writing in Jewish World Review notes that

"In Europe, the wise old foreign-policy "realists" scoff at the Iraq elections � Islam and democracy are completely incompatible, old boy; everybody knows that, except these naive blundering Yanks who just don't have our experience."

Steyn goes on to note that the "naysayers" in the Democratic Party and the MSM are "obsessed" with Rummy, Rice and Bush getting it all wrong, they haven't noticed what is really happening. Here's a though: can they notice that the Iraqi voters really don't care about what everyone thinks, they want to have an open, free, representative government.

There are plenty of things that have gone wrong in Iraq, things not planned for, changes in strategy, the increase in the terrorists determination to keep Iraq a fiefdom of the Baathst Party or a Mullahocracy a' la Iran. But cataloging those faults, mistakes, whatever does not, REPEAT, Does Not take anything away from those brave Iraqi voters.

All you really have to ask yourselves is why, with all the problems, do Iraqi's brave death and dismemberment to vote in such huge numbers, and we, safe in our snug little burgs, far from the terrorism facing much of the world and especially the Middle East can only manage slightly more than 50%? This may be the real scandal.

Steyn also notes:

"Even on the Sunni side of the street, there are signs the smarter fellows understand their plans to destroy the election have flopped and it's time to cut themselves into the picture. The International Monetary Fund noted in November that the Iraqi economy is already outperforming all its Arab neighbors."

As the Great King of Siam (From Anna and the King - The King and I for those of you who don't read but do go to movies and plays) said "It is A Puzzlement."

Like Steyn, I wonder with the changing demographics in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, how they will fare in two, three or four years?

UPDATE: Marc Cooper agrees that despite the problems in Iraq (and he is from a progressive, anti-Iraq war perspective) should not outweigh the good:

"...the political opening in Iraq, no matter its limited size and the grotesque distortions imposed by the war, is a felicitous by-product of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the U.S. occupation."

UPDATE~2: Michael Totten has a terrific post setting up a "cantankerous Wild West of a comments section" to channel questions and observations about the Iraqi election. And he did it the day BEFORE the election. Atta~boy Michael, atta~boy!