The elections on Saturday were a step toward a peaceful approach to settling disagreements among factions about the shape of the country. If new governments are seated from north to south and east to west, the United States and Iraq can begin the next act in earnest.

What if, in the end, the neocons are actually borne out on this one?

Pointing to a New Era, U.S. Pulls Back as Iraqis Vote - NYTimes.com