Why? It probably has something to do with the fact that they fear a surrender under Democrats, which would undoubtedly lead to unrestricted ethnic cleansing.

For Sunnis, al-Sadr’s continued clout is a warning and a provocation. In the district of Adhamiyah, a Sahwa [i.e. Awakening] fighter named Mahmoud (like his Mahdi Army counterpart, he gave only his first name) tells me there can be no reconciliation between the sects “as long as Muqtada is alive.” Then he makes a grim prediction: “Right now, the Americans want us to fight against al-Qaeda, and that’s fine. But we know the real fight will be in the future, with the Mahdi Army. We are getting ready for it.” Fattah, in Sadr City, is preparing for the same fight. “The Americans protect the [Sahwa] for the moment, but we know who they are; we have lists,” he says. “When the time comes, we will know what to do with them.”

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.

Allah notes the same thing that immediately came to my mind when I read this. When CNN decided to interview a few (random, I’m sure) Iraqi soldiers, they just couldn’t seem to find a single one that supports McCain. At the time I found that unlikely, as they must’ve been able to find at least one that didn’t support the implementation of ethnic cleansing in their country. I guess my skepticism was justified.