Here's the last paragraph from a Christopher Hitchens article in Slate. I'm still not sure whether Hitchens is really one of us, but he sure talks like one of us these days. Note he can't resist slamming the CIA. Anyway, go read it all.

The extraordinary and undeniable thing is that, in a country that was dying on its feet and poisoning the region a couple of years ago, there is now a real political process that has serious implications for adjacent countries. The way back to Baathism and personal despotism is blocked, and the task of the clerical fanatics is in the long run an impossible one. (Ask yourself: When was the last time you read about Muqtada Sadr's supposedly unstoppable "Mahdi Army"?) Crudely but firmly, the coalition forces are meanwhile acting as the militia for those who have no militia. Whatever happens next week, this is some cause for pride.

I think this election is going to work out, too, if only because the great majority of the Iraqis are against the terrorists.