The parliamentary elections in Iraq were indeed a milestone in the war that has lasted more than 1,000 days. But it has brought the U.S. to an ironic phase that no one could have expected.

President Bush and his supporters may have been tempted to lift an index finger in solidarity with the millions of Iraqi citizens whose purpled fingers showed they voted in yesterday's elections.

That the elections were relatively violence-free in the midst of war is worthy of celebration.

But it's still premature to lift that second finger — the middle one that creates a "V" sign for victory.

And even Bush is beginning to acknowledge that.

In a Washington speech on the eve of the elections, Bush finally took some responsibility for the overall failure of the Iraq mission. The president said that faulty intelligence was used to justify putting U.S. men and women in harm's way.

The mission's intended aim was thought to be terrorism, the threat of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. didn't go to war to give the Iraqis the right to vote in free elections. But at this point that's all Bush has to show.

Bush's new admission that mistakes were made is intended to rally flagging support at home for the war effort. But the proper reaction should be outrage from taxpayers who have paid the bill, and from those with relatives and kin who've paid the ultimate price.

With that in mind, it's reassuring to see the Hawai'i-based 100th Battalion of the Army Reserve scheduled to come home by early next year. Their work led, in part, directly to this week's elections.

When the rest of the troops come home will be determined by those election results, which are expected to establish Iraq's new leadership infrastructure.

This is where things get tricky. The election turnout included a strong showing by Sunnis, who shunned the balloting last January. Their participation, depending on final results, could counteract the Shiite clerics who now have control. And what of the Kurds and other minorities vying for power?

If they all get along, Iraq could be a model democracy. Or it could emerge as a theocracy led by fundamentalists who may see the U.S. as the infidel. The worst case actually would be that none of the groups can agree on a constitution, resulting in civil war.

That's why it's a good thing the president has begun to take some responsibility. Faulty intelligence got us into this war; only smart, sophisticated and honest leadership will get us out.