The other shoe

The sight of a newly liberated Iraqi pounding an oversized poster of Saddam Hussein with his shoe was priceless.

But the other shoe has yet to drop - and that's of great concern.

Certainly, populations in key allies' countries now support the war effort: In an encouraging turnaround, majorities in both Australia and Britain support their leaders' entry into the war. That's great news, especially for British Prime Minister Tony Blair who has been the most stalwart U.S. friend and ally.

But one can't help noticing that, aside from a few jubilant anti-Saddam celebrants, the Iraqis have yet to come around.

We were, of course, unrealistically hopeful that allied forces would be instantly greeted as liberators. Let's face it: The Bush administration appears to have oversold that aspect.

Administration and military officials say forces fiercely loyal to Saddam Hussein are both feared and coercive - and that it will take time for freedom-loving Iraqis to feel safe enough to express their views.

Not helping matters is the fact that Saddam's fate is unknown - and that many Iraqis, particularly in the south and north, did celebrate and even revolt against Saddam after the 1991 war, thinking, as we, that his regime would collapse. The jubilation and rebellion were quickly and brutally put down. You can't blame folks for being cautious.

Still, we may have miscalculated the extent of desire in Iraq for change - as well as how allied forces would be seen. In addition, many Iraqis, after years of propaganda, must question U.S. motives, thinking we're out to conquer them and control their oil.

And, as a Washington Times report noted on Tuesday, "Pentagon officials conceded privately yesterday that while they expected guerrilla tactics from paramilitary units, they have been surprised by their fierce loyalty to Saddam."

The resistance is most surprising in the south of Iraq, which was considered hostile to Saddam.

But remember, we're less than a week in. Perhaps with time, Iraqis will see that their liberation is at hand, and will come around.

Yet, the past few days have been a painful reminder that you can't save people from themselves. The Iraqis had better want liberation as badly as we convinced ourselves they do - or as badly as overzealous Iraqi exiles claim their countrymen do.

Encouraging reports Tuesday told of an Iraqi uprising against Saddam's minions in Basra. Let's hope that's a harbinger. For, while the allies are fully capable of liberating the Iraqi people, only the Iraqis can make themselves truly free.