I was busy playing around with the Technorati API today (and internally grumbling about why people make APIs using XML as a transport where the XML structure is inconsistent from call to call… annoying to code). So, I didn’t get to post this compilation earlier.

Anywho, I’m mostly writing this to put together a link of some of the better posts about the Iraqi elections today. I’ve already highlighted Drezner’s commentary below, so here are the rest:

Just one quick editorial comment… it’s funny reading people like Greg, who otherwise seems to have good contacts on the ground in Iraq and very astute commentary, interpret news stories and poll results. For all of his expertise, I can’t help but grin at the assumptions he makes when he says this:

But think of the 28.20% [of Sunni's] that say they are somewhat likely [to vote]. Why only “somewhat”? The lack of security is doubtless the biggest reason–not that they think the whole process is corrupt and illegitimate.

Back it up with something, and I’ll believe it. Until then, I’ll assume we don’t know why… I suspect that security is a major reason, but I don’t think it’s doubtless. I am certain that in this otherwise fairly secular society, some people are having pangs of guilt when their religious leaders call out to them to be good Muslims. It happens here, too, when church leaders call out good Christians. Anyway, it’s not a big deal, nor does it detract from what he’s saying, but it did make me smile.

By the way, you’ll probably see me quoting Greg Djerejian more often here. Of the bloggers I read who supported Bush, I find his commentary to some of the best about foreign policy and it’s implementation. He also seems to have some good sources. For example, he’s been right about almost every post election move the President has made in his foreign policy/national security cabinet. One of my greatest fears about the 2004-2008 term was going to be the continuation of the foreign policy of the rose colored glasses. It’s starting to look a lot better for the next four years, that’s for sure. I still don’t really agree much with Greg on a lot of things, but at least the discussion he creates is useful (unless Instapundit links to him, of course).

I’m also going to try and focus less on the Atrios’s of the world and more on the bloggers trying to start conversations. This is, fundamentally, the greatest problem with following politics in particular via the web and blogs. It just becomes talk radio, which has some power, but generally doesn’t do any good. I’m working on an updated list of blogs, and those will become part of a box on the right soon enough… I don’t like blogrolls in general, but I might try one out.