CNN reports on a town that most other mainstream journalists seem to have missed in their reporting from Iraq. Nine miles from the former heart of the insurgency, the town ironically named Karma intends to prove that Iraqis are ready for democracy:

The concept of democracy appears to have taken root in the dusty town of Karma, a predominantly Sunni community of 75,000 people about nine miles (15 kilometers) northeast of Falluja. ...

Although most say they don't know who the candidates are or where to go to vote, they say they will vote come January 30.

Shakir Jiyad Aswad, father of 10, said Karma residents want to elect a nationalist, someone to preserve religion and defend holy places. "We want one Iraq," he said. "I'll probably vote for [Iraq's interim President Ghazi] al-Yawar." ...

Farther down the road, Iraqis are also preoccupied with what's lacking. They tell Col. Tucker they want to vote but don't know who to vote for.

"We get our information from the TV. But then the power goes out and we have no TV," one man says. Abd Al-Khadar Ali Khayab, a butcher and father of nine, says he'll vote for one of the sheiks of his tribe he has heard is running. But he doesn't know which list he's on or who any of the others on the list are.

Kudos to CNN and Arwa Damon for going out and actually talking with Iraqis, who have told anyone who will listen that they want to vote and usher in a new era of democracy. The people of Karma want the opportunity to determine their own leaders, to select those who will represent their interests instead of living under the oppression of the greedy and genocidal.

How difficult is it to report that? How difficult is it to believe that? For the mainstream media, apparently almost impossible, especially when reporters don't actually go out and talk with the people they'd rather consign to a long, dark night of tyranny rather than admit that Bush might be right. Every once in a while, though, a bit of light sneaks through the media blackout. In this case, CNN even made it the headline on its website. I have to admit -- I'm impressed.

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