What Do the Iraq Elections Prove?

There is a lot of crowing on the right about how the Iraqi elections have proven the doubters wrong. I have to admit, I truly believe Iraq has turned an important corner. The comparisons about Iraq and Vietnam by the anti-war forces have become tiresome and denote a time warp that the left seems unable to escape from. However, unless the right has found some similar time warp that allows them to view the future, I think it is hubristic to say that the Iraqi doubters are incorrect, except when applied to the narrow complaint the elections could never be held in the first place. I believe we are doing the right thing in Iraq and I wake up every day happy that Kerry was not elected President, but, at this point, it is extremely premature to divine any truths about Iraq and to trumpet the Iraq elections as pointing to anything other than an unknowable future (although it is growing brighter). All our celebrations do is provide an attack front for the left when the inevitable setbacks occur. The right needs to hold the champaigne for the momment when the world can really claim success in Iraq. Hopefully, that day will come sooner rather than later.