From the NY Times Editorial Page regarding Iraq, January 12, 2005:

It's time to talk about postponing the elections.....Many Americans - and many Iraqis - worry that if the elections were postponed, the terrorists would feel empowered by having won. That might indeed be the case for the next few months. But that outcome would be far outweighed by the danger that would come from a civil war...Others argue that civil war is probably inevitable.....That kind of pessimism may be warranted. But given the horrific possibilities, we should make every effort to avoid that end. A delay in the voting seems to offer at least a ray of hope, and it pushes Iraq in the direction it desperately needs to go: toward a democracy in which all religious and ethnic groups have a stake.

From the NY Times News Pages regarding Iraq, April 2, 2005

Sunni Clerics Urge Followers to Join Iraq Army and Police

A group of Sunni Arab clerics, including some hard-line figures who fiercely oppose the American presence here, issued a statement on Friday urging their fellow Sunni Arabs to join the Iraqi Army and police.

The edict, signed by 64 imams and religious scholars, was a striking turnaround for the clerics, who have often lashed out in sermons at the fledgling army and police force and branded them collaborators....

American and Iraqi officials welcomed the edict as a sign that the Sunni Arabs, who largely boycotted the January elections, are taking steps toward rejoining the country's government and politics.

Notice the use of the words "striking turnaround". It´s only striking to those who still misunderestimate the Bush doctrine of promoting freedom and not giving in to terrorists.