Iraqi turnout stuns media

I can't even count how many times today on CNN I've heard a correspondent like Jane Arraf or Christine Amanpour say, "This is absolutely stunning and extraordinary," in reference to the number of Iraqis showing up at the polls. I think we are seeing an absolute blunder unfold on behalf of the mainstream media in all of their coverage on election preparation leading up to today. They kept trying to spell out the same equation, thinking they had it all figured out: Sunni boycott + insurgent threats = civil war over the election of a Shiite theocracy. It just goes to show how truly uninformed most people are about the political make-up of the country (the idea that Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites are bitter enemies is ludicrous to begin with). And perhaps the most important point to note was the severe underestimation of the bravery and resiliency of the Iraqi people, something that I never really doubted. The initial estimate for voter turnout was an "optimistic" 50 percent, which is something the Iraqi Election Commission supposedly came up with. Nevertheless, we now see figures well within the 70-75 percent range popping up (out of 15 million registered voters). This is indeed commendable, especially when considering our own national elections are carried out regularly with around a 50 percent voter turnout. Perhaps by teaching the Iraqis (and hopefully the rest of the Middle East) a thing or two about democracy, we will end up learning a thing or two in return about this sacred obligation that we call voting, which is often times sadly taken for granted.