Telling Polls

CNN's been running some polls the last few days which have been interesting.

At one point yesterday, 80% of respondents did not feel that the Iraqi elections would bring democracy to the country, while one being conducted right now shows 69% of respondents saying "no", that violence in Iraq will not decline after elections.

What I suspect it may do is bring us closer to an out-and-out civil war there, of our making.

I also worry how many Iraqis will die because they bear those big purple stains on their fingers which mark that they've voted. Those are difficult to miss since the marks I've seen aren't small dots but one third to one half the index finger dipped in indigo ink.