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As Iraq goes to the polls

How "free" or "fair" can an election be described to be when it is conducted under the guns of an invasion force that has killed 100,000 citizens of that country, tortured captives, and has a history of violent suppresion of other countries' votes? Would your answer change if the invasion force was led by, say, Russia or China instead?

The freeness of Iraq's election today needs to be judged by both how willing the Iraqis are to elect a government that America disapproves of - every indication being that the majority favour either Baathist or Islamic candidates - and how willing America is to accept such a result.

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