Talks aimed at forging an Iraq coalition government have faltered over Kurdish demands for more land and concerns that the dominant Shiite alliance seeks to establish an Islamic state, delaying the planned first meeting of Iraq’s new parliament. (scotsman.com)

Iraq elections prove that insurgency has no political future: Rice (politicalgateway.com)

Last month's balloting in Iraq is reverberating throughout the Middle East, top US Senator John McCain said, citing just-called multi-candidate presidential elections in Egypt Egypt as the most recent example of the regional sea change. (Designerz.com)

Dov S. Zakheim: Careful What You Wish For. Elections could yield hostile fanatics instead of freedom-loving friends. The successful national elections in Palestine and Iraq, along with local elections in Saudi Arabia and continuing demonstrations in Beirut reminiscent of those in Kiev not long ago, point to an upheaval in the Middle East. Yet in none of these places is it clear that democracy will endure. It isn't even apparent that Iraq's elections mark the beginning of a secular trend toward freedom of speech, assembly and religion. After all, these elections were not the first in Iraq's history, and the previous ones were followed by a series of nasty dictatorships, of which Saddam Hussein's was the most recent and nastiest. The leading candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim Jafari, is a member of the U.S.-backed interim government and head of the Shiite-based Islamic Dawa Party. He is a staunch advocate of Islamic values and has ties to Iran. It's anyone's guess what his policies might be if he does become prime minister. [...] (LA Times)

Yes, It's All Bush's Fault. For more than three years, the Left has characterised the War on Terror, and especially the liberation of Iraq, as "Bush's War." They've also referred to Iraq as "Bush's Adventure," "Bush's Crusade" and "Bush's Folly." They were calling it "Bush's Hastily Planned, Poorly Realised and Badly Executed Diversion From the 'Real' War," but pretty much stopped when they realised that it wouldn't all fit on a Volvo-sized bumper sticker. Liberals don't understand the strategy of defeating terrorism by changing the totalitarian governments that support it. They don't get the concept that freedom reduces frustration, which in turn reduces the ability of terrorist groups to recruit. They refuse to acknowledge that Congress voted the Authorisation for Use of Military Force Against Iraq into law. They insist that the war was all Bush's idea (when they don't consider him a puppet, that is), and that every setback and problem is all Bush's fault. (Men's News Daily)