Posted on 02/05/2009 8:26:01 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Nouri al-Maliki coailition scores landslide victory in Iraq elections
Deborah Haynes and Wail al-Obaidi in Baghdad
Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s Prime Minister, savoured a stunning election victory last night, as improved security drew voters to his coalition and away from the sectarian division offered by hardline religious parties.
The victory in provincial elections will encourage him to run for a second term in office in the approaching general election, less than a year after he was derided in the West for his ambitious military crackdown on militants.
A coalition headed by Mr al-Maliki had landslide wins in Baghdad and Basra, the country’s two most important provinces. His State of Law coalition also came out on top in seven other predominately Shia provinces in southern Iraq, beating the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI) in a triumph for secular politics over religious groups.
Preliminary results, issued yesterday, indicate a drastic shift in the political map nationwide, with Sunni Arabs securing a better representation after boycotting the last polls four years ago in protest at the US-led occupation.
Iraqis went to the polls last weekend to select new councils in 14 of the country’s 18 provinces. Turnout was a lower than expected 51 per cent but the election was heralded a success after it passed off relatively peacefully.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
It's bush's fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The MSM will not say this is Bush’s fault, if they even bother to report it!
As hard as the RATS (Reid, Pelosi, Murtha and others) worked for defeat in Iraq they lost but the MSM is silent on it.
What? I didnt read this at CNN or MSNLSD.
Every one knows the war in Iraq is lost /s
With Obama in the WH maybe conservatives should move to Iraq where Democracy is getting a real toe-hold thanks to Bush and our military while here it is becoming the land where terrorist supporters and anti-Americans are taking charge.
No kidding L0L
Hah. You could be more right than you think. A savvy buyer could probably get some sweet waterfront on the Tigris for a good price.
But that aside... This is truly excellent news. This is the end of the war. Congratulations to Mister Al-Maliki. Big brass ones that guy has.
A BTT. This is, of course, roundly ignored in the U.S. We might read about it when MSNBC can figure out how to give Obama the credit.
Hooray!
It’s not over yet.
The Iraqi Army is supposed to receive M1 Abrams tanks this year, and the Iraqi Air Force is supposed to receive F-16s in 2010-2011.
I am genuinely concerned that Obama is going to scuttle these deals to show those kind, caring, and just misunderstood nutcases in Iran his version of diplomacy. If that happens, all that we have accomplished is at stake.
US Military:
.
NEVER FORGET
.
The one thing The LOVE Itself
needs more of in this world,
for GOD is LOVE,
...is more LOVE.
And that only comes when
...people are FREE.
http://www.Freerepublic.com/~aloharonnie/
.
MEL’s -PASSION- sparked by -WE WERE SOLDIERS-
http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1085111/posts
.
NEVER FORGET
.
Our gummit is far more corrupt than Iraq’s.
Pray for America, Our Troops and obama’s Guidance
Other Middle Eastern nations are watching.
Stay tuned. :)
very nice and I concur, Thank you President Bush and my son-in-law currently deployed.
REPORT FROM USMC in Anbar Province
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/report-from-usmc-in-anbar-province.htm
MGen John Kelly USMC, CG MNF West, senior Marine in Iraq.
From: Kelly MajGen John F (CG)
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 9:53 AM
Election Day
I don’t suppose this will get much coverage in the States as the news is so good. No, the news is unbelievable. Something didn’t happen in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, today.
Once the most violent and most dangerous place on earth, no suicide vest bomber detonated killing dozens of voters. No suicide truck bomber drove into a polling place collapsing the building and killing and injuring over 100. No Marine was in a firefight engaging an Al Qaida terrorist trying to disrupt democracy.
What did happen was Anbar Sunnis came out in their tens of thousands to vote in the first free election of their lives. With the expectation of all of the above (suicide bombers) they walked miles (we shut down all vehicle traffic with the exception of some shuttle busses for the elderly and infirm) to the polling places. I slept under the stars with some Grunts at Combat Outpost Iba on the far side of Karma, and started driving the 200 miles up the Euphrates River Valley through Karma, Fallujah, Habbiniyah, Ramadi, Hit, Baghdad and back here to Al Asad. I stopped here and there to speak with cops, soldiers, Marines, and most importantly, regular Iraqi men and women along the way. It was the same everywhere. A tension with every finger on a trigger that broke at perhaps 3PM when we all began to think what was almost unthinkable a year ago. We might just pull this off without a bombing. No way.
By 4PM it seemed like we’d make it to 5PM when the polls closed. At 4:30 the unbelievable happened: the election was extended an hour to 6PM because of the large crowds! What are they kidding? Tempting fate like that is not nice. Six PM and the polls close without a single act of violence or a single accusation of fraud, and nearly by early reports pretty close to 100% voted. Priceless.
Every Anbari walking towards the polling place had these determined and, frankly, concerned looks on their faces. No children with them (here mothers and grandmothers are NEVER without their children or grandchildren) because of the expectation of death. Husbands voted separately from wives, and mothers separately from fathers for the same reason. In and out quickly to be less of a target for the expected suicide murderer. When they came out after voting they also wore the same expression on their faces, but now one of smiling amazement as they held up and stared at ink stained index fingers.
Norman Rockwell could not have captured this wonderment.
Even the ladies voted in large numbers and their husbands didn’t insist on going into the booths to tell them who to vote for.
One of the things I’ve always said was that we came here to “give” them democracy. Even in the dark days my only consolation was that it was about freedom and democracy. After what I saw today, and having forgotten our own history and revolution, this was arrogance. People are not given freedom and democracy - they take it for themselves. The Anbaris deserve this credit.
Today I step down as the dictator, albeit benevolent, of Anbar Province. Today the Anbaris took it from me. I am ecstatic. It was a privilege to be part of it, to have somehow in a small way to have helped make it happen.
Semper Fi.
Kelly
CC Dick Durbin, Harry Reid, ANSWER, Nancy Pelosi, DU, Code Pink, Every Right Wing Nutter of the Nuke Mecca crowd that said this was a lost cause, because Muslims don’t want Democracy/Don’t want a say in who runs their country.
Exactly!!!!
Iraq before George Bush, After George Bush (graphic photos at link)
Libertarian Republican | 1-30-09
Posted on 01/31/2009 12:41:41 PM PST by STARWISE
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2175812/posts
Albanian town bids sorrowful farewell to Bush
Reuters
Posted on 01/20/2009 4:21:23 AM PST by nuconvert
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167941/posts
Bush Will Be Vindicated in the War on Terror
The New Media Journal | Jan 19, 2008 | Dr. Walid Phares
Posted on 01/19/2009 5:43:50 PM PST by NewMediaJournal
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167778/posts
We Have Not Tired, We Have Not Faltered...
realclearpolitics | Rich Galen
Posted on 01/17/2009 8:04:35 AM PST by big black dog
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2166416/posts
Bush’s Achievements: Ten things the president got right.
The Weekly Standard | 01/19/2008 | Fred Barnes
Posted on 01/10/2009 4:06:09 AM PST by iowamark
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2162109/posts
Grateful Muslims Who Love The US
Nietzche is Dead | 26 Dec 08 | foutsc
Posted on 12/26/2008 10:06:17 AM PST by foutsc
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2154494/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.