The Arab media like the Western media has lost credibility. Their dismissal of the importance of the vote no longer sounds real even to themselves. Money quote:

The Arab world is anything but indifferent to Sunday's polling in Iraq, which has dual implications for the restive region. It will almost certainly bring to power Iraq's long-suppressed Shiite Muslims, boosting the sect's influence in this Sunni Muslim-dominated area. It also will mean Washington has succeeded in bringing democracy to Iraq by force - at least for the moment - a precedent that could shake up the autocratic Arab world.

"Arab governments may not say it, but they don't want Iraq's democratic experiment to succeed," said Turki al-Hamad, a prominent Saudi columnist and former political science professor."Such a success would embarrass them and present them with the dilemma of either changing or being changed."

You can find a bunch of pre-elections sour grapes