Iraqi Election~~~~~ Live thread.

All of us | Jan 29 2005 | Various Freepers

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And boy he is into everything. Needless to say he acts like hes 8 years old instead of 18 months.

Now that's a good sign...workout for the parents though!

[mfccinsd]

Very positive, overall. Not ignoring the attacks, but mostly a lot of it's going better than anyone thought type stuff...from what their on the ground folks are saying the turnout has been good...started out slow in some areas, but increasing. MSNBC had it basically empty everywhere for awhile it seemed...

Shep had been doing some great "snapshots" of statistics, stories, etc. like of aircraft getting images of thousands of voters walking 13 miles to their new polling place when the original was moved from Abu Ghraib, etc. He had been doing a bunch of the udpates during a couple minute segment near the top of the hour, but didn't seem him this past hour. Maybe next hour when it's 5 on the East coast? His have seemed the most concrete, also (he seemed to have sources in the know compared to others).

Geraldo was practically in tears several times and bouncing off the walls others with joy...seeming to really be impacted by what he was seeing. (And neither of these two are folks at Fox I particularly like much of the time...and neither who, IMO, are typically overly positive...so to me those two said a lot when even they are saying such good stuff).

CNN has shown more as far as people actually voting or in lines than another of the other three (from what I've seen)...they've even shown quite a lot of celebrating, clapping, singing, etc. of folks waiting to vote and afterwards.

[freepersup]

I like and appreciate your tag line...

Charles D. King; name on my MIA bracelet worn 24-7 (with some exceptions)

[Primetimedonna]

Denny Crane: "I want two things. First God and then Fox News."
Who is Denny Crane?

[faithincowboys]

He'll definitely be in my thoughts and prayers.

[Jet Jaguar]

So far pretty positive. Geralso was on earlier and was giddy. He noted the Iraqis were at a historic point. Compared it to 1776.

Shep Smith listed many successes in regards to the voting including; so far, no US casualties today, and, the polls were closed (for some reason) in Abu Graihb so those voters (more than 1000) were walking 13 miles to vote at the nearest polling site.

[windchime]

"Bite your tongue before you cause a mass suicide with Ted Kennedy leading the way."

LOL! Maybe someone needs to post it at the doom and gloom site.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

William Shatner's character on the show "Boston Legal".

[dervish]

Yeah its amazing. No plan but everything is right on schedule -- first the handover and now the election.

[stlnative]

Disabled Mohammed Karim Khader, 80, is carried on the shoulder of a man on his way to cast his vote in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq (news - web sites) to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community.(AP Photo/Patrick Baz, Pool)


Women que from early morning hours in front of the polling station in downtown Erbil, Sunday, Jan. 30. 2005. Kurds in scores attended election in hope to gain significant voice in the interim Iraqi Parliament. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj)

[dervish]

very impressive

[Primetimedonna]

Can't thank you enough for the update!! I was so bummed to have missed much of it, and am pooped now, so not sure how long I can stay up. Your overview was so reassuring!

Thanks!

[rwfromkansas]

I hope that dude has enough bandwidth for the pic...

SEE THIS AWESOME TRANSCRIPT OF RIVERA'S REPORT!

From 24 Hours in Iraq: Decision Day, January 30 2005:

GERALDO RIVERA [FOX NEWS]: I don't want to overstate, because I'm very emotional right now. Because I was in that town, just behind me. These GIs have done it, they've created an environment, despite the explosions, despite all the news you've heard of the suicide bomber, snipers, this and that. In this town, in this community, with 15,000 registered voters, we have just returned from the polling place. It is absolutely packed. Roll the video. There are men, women, families coming. They are casting their ballot for the first time. It was so inspiring. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my entire life. It really is like the Berlin Wall going down in 1989. It really is like the beginning, like the dawn of the civil rights era, when black people could vote for the first time. It is the most amazing sight. Only a hard-bitten cynic, only a person with absolutely no upside to their feeling of optimism, could look askance at what is happening, truly happening today. People are applauding themselves, they look like Rocky coming out of the polling place. There are women voting for the first time, and it's just the most incredible thing. It's so heartwarming to see it.

RIVERA: Now this is a mixed Shia and Suni town. I didn't ask the religion of the people who were voting. I assume just by the news stories you've all heard that most of the people who are voting are of the Shia branch of the Muslim faith. I don't know that for sure. But go to the video of the polling place, because that's where the people are. They're inside. They're voting, they're on line...they're going through a process that--look at that--these people, remember, ladies and gentlemen, they never voted in their life. They never had the right to vote in their life. Now they have a democratic choice. Now they can select which candidate they want for that legislative assembly that will go on to pick candidates and have a permanent Prime Minister and draft a constitution. And so this once-dictatorship, one of the most brutal regimes on earth, can join the family of civilized, democratic nations. I'll tell you folks, it is an amazing, amazing feeling.

RIVERA: I don't know the turnout nationwide. I don't want my enthusiasm to be disguised as a comprehensive report on exactly what the turnout is. I don't know what the flaws are. All I know is what I saw with my own eyes. What I saw with my own eyes were the people of this community turning out to vote, turning out in droves....I tell you, the job they did, it's--they've created an environment stable enough so that these people--not only are our GIs heroes, each one of these voters is a hero. Remember what they have been threatened with. Remember what they have endured. Remember the people who have been beheaded. Remember the threats that if you come out today, this is your last warning, you're going to be killed, your family is going to be killed. Well look at them. They're turning out anyway....

RIVERA: There was a vehicle-born suicide bomber that didn't detonate. The people of the community started pounding on the car with their shoes to show their disdain for the anarchists, these malevolent anarchists. They have no agenda other than disruption. They have no agenda other than chaos and their own self-aggrandizement. It's just amazing....There are the explosions, there's no doubt about it, in the background, the occasional fire, but that's not the news. Yes, it's the news of course, but the real news is that despite everything they are going to cast their ballots. It's incredibly heartwarming....

RIVERA: When I went with these guys to the polling station, they stopped about two blocks away. They would not go. They didn't want it to seem as if it was American military might that was pulling this whole thing off. They stayed two blocks away. We walked up to the polling place, first the Iraqi Army, then the Iraqi cops inside. You had a feeling in there, a kind of almost family feeling in this community....An exciting day, an historic day here in Iraq. It is the dawn of freedom....You folks who live in the United States who are watching this, just be proud. Be proud of this. This is amazing. This was inconceivable, wasn't it, during the days of Saddam Hussein. Look how far this country has come. It will heal its wounds. The terrorists are going to lose.

From: http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/iblog/C168863457/E1093199074/index.html

[oolatec]

Hmmm, the drone video after the attack on our embassy... I never saw it... do you have a link? Thanks!!! :) :) :)

[BCrago66]

What's that old bastard Art Buchwald doing on that guy's shoulders?

[rwfromkansas]

Looks like CNN is doing more b-roll type stuff.

[Wilhelm Tell]

Why the hell would a suicide terrorist give a rats ass about a driving ban?

The driving ban makes car bombs almost useless. The terrorist's objective is to find a polling place and kill as many voters as possible. Any terrorist driving about will be spotted and stopped before he can get to a place where he can finish his mission. The terrorist is not afraid to die but he is afraid of obstacles that get in the way of his finishing his mission and killing other people. It's not that the terrorists would be afraid of a driving ban per se. But with the ban in place, the terrorist's visibility is enhanced a thousand-fold and a soldier or policeman is likely to put a stop to the terrorist before the terrorist can reach his objective.

[Primetimedonna]

Thanks for all the info.....Freepers are the best! Knew I could count on you guys.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

What's that old bastard Art Buchwald doing on that guy's shoulders?

I used to read him all of the time when I was younger. What's he doing in Iraq?

[MarkL]

You are so right. Critics said there was NO WAY these elections would happen. Well...They are happening. No matter what spin the MSM tries to put on this and despite the continuation of the war today (which is no surprise to any of us), this election is a big time success. I admire the courage of those going to the polls and I pray all goes well for them.

Well, I'm sure that Barabara Boxer will contest the results, and lable the elections as "illegitimate."

Mark