Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, in his address yesterday to the United Nations:

Much has changed in my country, but there is no change that is more visible than the confidence of the Afghan people in the future of our country. We have seen this confidence in the return of over three and a half million refugees who are now rebuilding their lives. We have seen this confidence in the enthusiasm of families who are sending their boys and girls to school, rebuilding their homes and setting up their businesses.

And we have seen this confidence in the enthusiasm of ten and a half million Afghans who have registered to vote in the upcoming elections.

He said they still have a long battle fighting remnants of terrorist groups, as well as putting down the drug trade that finances terrorism. He said, "(Terrorists)
bombed vehicles carrying women registration workers, killed civilians who carried registration cards, and bombed religious schools killing children."

But, he added, "These attacks have not stopped our people from crossing one milestone after another."

This speech didn't get many headlines. But, remember, Afghanistan is about six months ahead of Iraq in the process of democratization so what happens there is worth noting.