[PornoDoggy]

Colin, I've never argued that people in Eastern Europe (or the Middle East) don't want democracy ... and while I wish nothing but peace and prosperity for the Iraqi people, I haven't owned a pair of rose-colored glasses since the 70s. I don't presume to know exactly what will happen, either.

However ... I think there are a lot of reasons to think the Yugosolvia comparison is accurate. The appearance of democracy may in fact be establishing a tenuous hold in Iraq. The inherent conditions on the ground in Iraq, bolstered by the failed policies of the Bush administration re the occupation, make the chances of that tenuous hold lasting rather tenuous at best.