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The Baghdadis caught between these extremes know that the only thing standing in the way of another sectarian conflagration is the U.S. military. This may explain why every Iraqi who offers me a view on American politics seems to be praying for a McCain victory. A 100-year American military presence, of which McCain once spoke, may seem a bit much; I suspect most Iraqis would be happy with five.

Now, says Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, all the credit for the decline in violence is going to the U.S. military: "People think the Americans are like Superman, who can do anything."

Many are former insurgents who are happy to accept salaries ($300 per month, paid by the U.S., not the Iraqi government)

Our common security is challenged by regional conflicts -- ethnic and religious strife that is ancient, but not inevitable. In the Middle East, there can be no peace for either side without freedom for both sides

Had Saddam Hussein been appeased instead of stopped, he would have endangered the peace and stability of the world. Yet this aggression was stopped -- by the might of coalition forces and the will of the United Nations. To suspend hostilities, to spare himself, Iraq's dictator accepted a series of commitments. The terms were clear, to him and to all. And he agreed to prove he is complying with every one of those obligations. He has proven instead only his contempt for the United Nations, and for all his pledges. By breaking every pledge -- by his deceptions, and by his cruelties -- Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself.

n 1991, Security Council Resolution 688 demanded that the Iraqi regime cease at once the repression of its own people, including the systematic repression of minorities -- which the Council said, threatened international peace and security in the region. This demand goes ignored.

But given that there is little consensus in Baghdad over the treaty, Iraqi leaders may simply decide to push for an extension of the UN mandate, however imperfect it may be.

“If the Iraqi and the American side can’t reach an agreement, then they have to think of extending the mandate for six months or a year,” said Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish parliamentarian.

Under the UN mandate, US and British forces have had the authority to detain or strike at those deemed threats to security, and their troops are allowed legal immunity from Iraqi law for their actions. A US administration would be reluctant to give away this freedom of action and immunity lest it be accused of not giving its military the tools to protect itself, or of letting US citizens be judged by foreign courts

"In Canada, the right to freedom of expression is not absolute, nor should it be," the commission's statement said. "By portraying Muslims as all sharing the same negative characteristics, including being a threat to 'the West,' this explicit expression of Islamophobia further perpetuates and promotes prejudice toward Muslims and others."

"The problem with so-called hate speech laws is that they're not about facts," he said in a telephone interview. "They're about feelings."

. "Western governments are becoming increasingly comfortable with the regulation of opinion.