What should we think about the Iraq elections? Some people from both sides think that it was a defeat for Bush because "his" candidate did not win. I don't think so.

The election went just as predicted - the Shia Alliance got the biggest share but not enough. The Kurds got the next largest share and will probably form a coalition with the Shias. Allawi came in third.

Certainly an Iraq governed by Allawi would have been easiest to deal with but it would also have given the impression of being a puppet government. The fact that the US-backed party came in third gives the election legitimacy. No one can point to it and say that it was fixed.

This should also help the new government govern. Iraq's two largest ethnic groups control the government. That should help build popular support for the government.

Also encouraging - Sunni leaders have admitted that they made a major mistake by boycotting the election. That means that they accept the election results, also.

If the election was no more than a single step in creating a democratic government then it at least seems to have been a big step.