Correction of an overstatement

In Some post-Iraq election analysis I called the coalition of Shiite parties--the United Iraqi Alliance--"the religious party." That is an overstatement in two ways. First, the United Iraqi Alliance is not a single party. It is made up of several different groups. Second, there are strong secular elements within the Alliance. Dexter Filkins has an article in today's New York Times which discusses the secular aspects within the group.

These facts do not alter my forthcoming analysis, but I nonetheless made a mistake which needed to be corrected.