Who says only farmers are up before the crack of dawn? Eggs are on the griddle and if I had grits, they'd be a-heatin' instead of hash browns.

Even though the latest, most extensive Gallup poll of Iraqis was released ten days ago, I haven't seen this point made about it: we realize that the Kurds "love us," as so many pundits have put it. But why? Could it be the fact that before last year the Kurds had enjoyed relative autonomy for over a decade, and because that measure of safety from Saddam's clutches came from the United States, their understanding of American motives and dependability have grown and solidified? While on one hand I remain confident that Iraqis who are newly released from the Ba'athist nightmare will quickly embrace the tenets of free living, I take care not to underestimate the trauma of decades of Stalinist rule. There's an answer to those who ask if Iraqis can be democratic — why yes, they can. Look at the Kurds, who are effectively ten years ahead of their Sunni and Shiite Arab brothers. They escaped fear, distrust, force as the instrument of rule. The future of the whole of Iraq can be glimpsed in the north; so if we understand the necessary length of withdrawal, the incubation time, we can gird ourselves for the challenges to come over the next several years.