...The Gray Lady's pronouncement--delivered with the gravity of a principle calling the parents of a disobedient child failing in school--is in keeping with the paper's disapproving attitude toward the war, which in turn reflects the prevailing opinion of northeastern liberal elites, including the CIA, State Department and other "realist" critics of neo-conservative idealism. The editorial, in short, represents the reasonable, cautious, non-ideological side of American foreign policy--the side Europeans prefer--which, while not entirely wrong, is dangerously misguided when it comes to the January 30th elections and, more importantly, the nature of the Sunni "insurgency" that threatens them.

After noting that violence is likely to depress turnout in Iraq's western, and predominately Sunni, provinces, the Times calls for a postponement of voting for a "fixed period of only two or three months," during which time the Allawi government "should convene an emergency meeting" to develop a "revised election timetable." In return, Sunni leaders "would have to promise to take part in the elections that followed." In other words, the Times and the "realist" establishment it represents, counsels the Iraqi government to answer the fascist insurgency by delaying elections, calling a meeting and holding Sunnis to their word. We've witnessed this sort of "realistic" betrayal of democracy and reliance on paper agreements and the pledges of criminal thugs before, only it didn't take place in Baghdad--but in Munich...