Vince Myers is certainly ecstatic about the elections in Iraq the weekend before last, “Iraqis take ownership in democracy,” Feb. 9. Now, if they only meant anything. For what exactly were the ballots being cast? Many of the candidates for office had to remain anonymous in order to remain alive through Election Day, and even if the names were known, the platforms certainly weren't. As Middle East expert Juan Cole noted last week, reports were coming out that “one motive for the good turnout in places like Najaf was the hope that a new provincial assembly could finally get the electricity turned on.”

Not exactly a mandate for action.

Of course we should be thrilled at the exercise of voting that Iraqis enjoyed last weekend, but let us not read anymore into it than that — an exercise. You can say the words “freedom” and “liberty” all you want, but it will not end the insurgency or prevent civil war any more effectively.

Our current troop levels in Iraq will be maintained through the near future, Secretary of State Rice didn't know how many Iraqi security forces we've trained, and the military has admitted that most of the guerrilla fighters are Baathists, not foreign-based terrorists. Let's keep things in context please.