Most of his Democratic critics this week were reduced to offering only grudging praise for the successful Iraqi elections. Yet John Kerry who had predicted nothing but failure in Iraq under Mr. Bush, remained as clinically defeatist as ever. When asked by Tim Russert on Sunday's "Meet the Press" if Iraq was now less of a terrorist threat than two years ago, Mr. Kerry said: "No, it's more. And, in fact, I believe the world is less safe than it was 2½ years ago." Tell that to the men and women who ventured out on the streets of Iraq to cast their vote and proudly showed their ink-stained fingers as badges of courage.
Praise for the Iraqi elections was nearly universal around the world, with even France and Germany.