Iraqis for McCain

If they can't have Petraeus as President, that is! Kathleen Parker interviews a native journalist Mayada al-Askari:

By April 2007, Mayada was critical of the Democrats and their
promises to bring the troops home. Should that happen, she wrote, America "will
leave Iraq in its current devastated state, and who knows what will happen in
the area, and everything inside this red-hot region."
Her contradictory
responses to my continuous questions echoed the debate that has divided this
country the past five years. A clear answer has never been easy to find.
That
is no longer the case, in Mayada's view. She gives credit to Petraeus, whom she
describes as "intelligent and calm, set on winning hearts and souls."
Today
she insists that Iraqis who are not Baathist hope that McCain wins the election
for one simple reason: "The man knows the job that has to be done in Iraq. If
the U.S. pulls out of Iraq now or anytime soon, then that will mean one thing:
al-Qaeda won the war."

It's interesting that as many Americans wish to withdraw from the affairs of the world, or at least turn over much of our responsibilities to UN "Peacekeepers", overseas nations are very interested in the outcome of our Presidential elections. Though they may often resent the US big brother, as yet there seems to be no alternative other than anarchy.