Not a bad point since my column was, in fact, about America’s reaction to the Iraqi elections. From a reader:

Mr. Cole misses one important point. Yes, his expertise on the Middle East qualifies him to present his opinion and perhaps demand a stronger hearing than others.
But, in the case of the Iraq elections, the impact on American public opinion is just as important as the impact on Iraqis.
And we can state conslusively that YOU are just as qualified as Mr. Cole to hold forth on the subject of American opinion.