Iraq Politician Deal Set

As Iraqi politicians set March 16 for the opening of the country's first democratically elected parliament in modern history, a deal to select its leaders seems to have been set, with Jalal Talabani, a leader of the minority Kurds, chosen as the first president. The prime minister's job appears set to go to Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a conservative Shiite who leads the Islamic Dawa party. His nomination has also been endorsed by the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq - Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The less we hear from the mainstream media on Iraq, the better. It means democracy is moving forward and things are going well.