Iraq Success

www.RightViews.com ^ | 1/30/05 | OJ

[Johannesson]

The Iraqi elections must at first light be deemed wildly successful. Despite the threat of violence and promises of 'rivers of blood' the terrorist managed to have only a very limited impact on both turn-out and overall security. Eight homicide bombers managed to detonate explosives at polling sites and a few rockets were launched along with mortars. All in all, estimates hover at around 37 dead across the country.

Granted, any loss of life is regrettable and unfortunate. Yet with roughly 5,500 polling stations across Iraq, and violent incidents at only two dozen, the intended terrorist impact was definitely subdued. One can only hope that we will not see a dramatic increase in sporadic targeting of people with purple index fingers over the next few days. Insurgents may have lost the battle for this election, but I suspect that they will attempt to disrupt any future elections by promptly going after people who voted in this one. The modus operandi of terrorists is to use circumstances to their advantage. High security targets are not their preference. Hopefully, the high turnout and jubilant mood has taken some wind out of the sails of the insurgency – not at the higher levels but on the ground. With any luck, lower ranks will dessert to join the other side, which does have a significant achievement to celebrate today.

It is important to remember that the election was very small step in a much grander historic process. Electing a national assembly, though terribly important and tremendously significant, is but a minor advance on the Iraqi roadmap to democracy. What will now present the greatest challenge for the newly founded legislative body, will be compromise. If the Shi'ite majority is smart, they will include Sunni interests since their representation was definitely impaired by low turnout. How this fragmented assembly interacts and functions as a whole, will eventually have an infinitely greater impact on whether the first Iraqi elections were a success then the high voter turnout we saw today. There is no question, however, that the Iraqi people have embarked on the right path of a long journey which will hopefully carry them to a successful democratic and independent government.

[Fenris6]

[ProudVet77]

Haven't been a FReeper for all that long, but I feel like I've shared a lot of history with everyone here. Without the posts here I'd hardly have heard any real news.

[CarolTX]

I saw an interview with some Iraqi fellow a few weeks ago...can't remember which network. He was bashing the American media coverage of his country, and predicted a strong turnout for the election. Speaking of the insurgent/terrorist/suicide bomber threats:

"They will kill hundreds...but hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of us will vote."

LOVED IT!!
Happy Election Day, Iraq.

[mark502inf]

Despite the threat of violence and promises of 'rivers of blood' the terrorist managed to have only a very limited impact on both turn-out and overall security. Eight homicide bombers managed to detonate explosives at polling sites and a few rockets were launched along with mortars. All in all, estimates hover at around 37 dead across the country.

Every innocent death is a tragedy. However, that number of 37 includes the bodies of the 8 suicide bombers plus at least four other terrorists/insurgents we engaged, mayber more. So the actual toll is in the 20s and that is on a day the bad guys prepared & planned for--a day on which Iraqis were in concentrated groups at polling places--highly vulnerable. Yet the best the terrorists could do was a couple dozen killed. They are losing. We and the Iraqi people are winning.