Bill,
I think as the new TLD's (Both IDN's and Non-IDN's) are being added to the DNS Root Servers
on a weekly basis, Verisign will try to find some way to speed up their final approval process (for .COM),
since it serves them no purpose in being the last tech company to table,
and actually makes them look pretty bad by holding back.
The more new TLD's that are added to the DNS Root Zone system the better!
(OK - So that's my next prediction referring to Verisign's reaction - Expect One!
Large, successful TLD additions to the DNS Root Zone (by new third parties) will help accelerate Versign's .COM TLD plans
forward. You will see. )