Election in Iraq

I'm going to try and be as optimistic as possible about the elections in Iraq. The lack of violence and the voter turn-out were excellent signs for both the US and Iraq. I fear that the lack of voters in Sunni populated territories may further alienate them from a process that has favored Shiites and Kurds from the outset. This could fuel the insurgency. More worrying though is the expected success of Sistani's party. As much as the Administration claims that any result is a good result for global democracy I can't reconcile how a Muslim theocracy favors the rest of the world.

This is the first step in a 12 month process before the first non-provisional government is elected following the writing of the Iraqi constitution. Over the next 12 months I hope we see signs of Sistani's willingness to accept a secular form of Muslim government. If we don't then I can't understand how the removal of Saddam could be deemed anything other than a failure.