It IS about time. Do we criticize children when they learn how to smile, learn how to sit up without assistance, learn how to crawl, learn how to walk? No. We clap and cheer and encourage them on. We do our best to protect them from falling, but we know they will fall. We offer our support if they want it, until they learn they don’t have to grab our hands to keep themselves up. They will suffer bumps & bruises, yet they will grow and continue to learn. Can you imagine how they’d be if we met their attempts with negativity and criticism?

Iraq is a fledgling country with people learning how to experience freedom, and while we cannot do the learning for them, we can clap and cheer and offer support as they learn to walk on their own.

I’ve always suspected that Middle Eastern cultures’ "high-connectivity" traditions of the coffeehouse and the negotiations-happy souk (bazaar) will serve them well politically IF AND WHEN (and it remains a pretty tall "IF" still) they can somehow get past the also-powerful traditions of "rule or die" and "any amount of violence before accommodation."

The sound of squabbling emanating from Iraq may be the sound of a political culture turning on its hinges as it pivots fitfully from "I’m going to kill you!" to "I’m going to argue you down and cut you a deal."

The sound of the car bombs and the suicide bombs that punctuates the more hopeful sound of nonviolent squabbling is the voice of an old order that is not quite dead and which is resisting fanatically, however. Personally, I think that the impetus is on the side of the new and more peaceful order, but it’s too early to say for sure. Therein lies the drama. And the stakes are high.

Deb, hopefully, most babies don’t learn how to crawl or walk or do anything with second and third parties pointing guns at them. I think you’ve taken the "fledgling" comparison much too far.

Who really cares or even pays attention to the mainstream media these days?

I remember 20 years ago in college, how much I revered the New York Times.

Now I wouldn’t wipe my shoes with that worthless rag. If I ever want elitist, arrogant, condescending, upper west side conventional wisdom, I’ll look at our esteemed media. If I want to know what’s actually going on, I’ll go elsewhere.

Deb - I agree with Frank. Fledglings rarely blow each other up as they learn to spread wings that were retrofitted.

To the extent that the "insurgency" is Sunni led, did we not just negotiate with terrorists?

There are Sunnis who are taking part in the peaceful political process, often at considerable risk: Several Sunni constitutional negotiators and advisors have been assassinated, most likely by violent Sunni extremists who want to shut down the constitutional process. Moreover, Iraq’s defense minister is a Sunni. The "insurgency" is indeed a predominantly Sunni affair, but of course that doesn’t mean every Sunni is involved or supports it.