The 2009 Election in Iraq

"Washington hardly noticed a near-miracle abroad," wrote Charles Krauthammer. "Iraq held provincial elections. There was no Election Day violence. Security was handled by Iraqi forces with little U.S. involvement. A fabulous bazaar of 14,400 candidates representing 400 parties participated, yielding results highly favorable to both Iraq and the United States.

"Iraq moved away from religious sectarianism toward more secular nationalism. 'All the parties that had the words "Islamic" or "Arab" in their names lost,' noted Middle East expert Amir Taheri. 'By contrast, all those that had the words "Iraq" or "Iraqi" gained.'"

Read the whole story here: Washington snubs Iraq's election miracle.