Elections
As far as much of the Left is concerned, the elections don't even exist. Try and find a news story discussing the parties, who's running, where the alliances are forming and breaking down, and what the policies of the government would be given various outcomes. Iraqi news sources and blogs are all over this, and the political activity is furious over there. Try and find a U.S. news story on this.
Anyone actually interested in success or failure in Iraq, as opposed to simply using it as a political weapon, would be thinking about these things, as you apparently are.