Demagogue

As the body count from the Iraqi election rises and we (or at least those of you in the U.S.) prepare for the inevitable headlines on Jan. 31 about the glorious return of democracy to a benighted country, remember this:

A contingent of Arab and Muslim peacekeepers was prepared to be deployed as early as last July specifically to protect the election. Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, who had been a key organizer, personally asked Dubya to support the plan. Bush turned him down--not because there was anything inherently wrong with the peacekeeping force, but because it would operate under UN authority, not under US command. Would the Arab and Muslim peacekeepers have made any difference? We'll never know.