Guardian: Check Out Democracy in Iraq!

William Shawcross of the Guardian says that democratic elections in Iraq and the fact that it was so peaceful,

give good reason to hope Iraq really is on the way to building a decent society.

Shawcross points out that:

All the Islamic parties lost ground, especially that associated with the so-called "Shia firebrand", Moqtada al-Sadr, whose share of the vote went down from 11% to 3%. The principal Sunni Islamic party, the Islamic Party of Iraq, was wiped out.

who knows, Iraq may yet even become a model for democratic change in other Arab countries. If so, who deserves some credit? The much maligned President Bush. And Tony Blair.

If someone from the Guardian can recognize that Iraq has improved, there might be some hope for the Pelosi and Reid.

We'll see what history has in store for GW's legacy on Iraq. Hopefully Barack will stay the course - only he can lose this one now.