Election Triumph Belies Network Naysayers ("No more confusion about what the people want..")

Election Triumph Belies Network Naysayers: Strong Turnout by Iraqi Voters and Relative Calm Contradict Many Journalists' Pessimistic Predictions"

"The prospect is you can have five percent -- in cities like Mosul, the prospect is five percent of Iraqis might turn out to vote....If you have a turnout of five percent in cities like Mosul, this is not a legitimate election." -- BBC reporter Katty Kay on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show, December 12, 2004.

"In the mixed Arab and Kurdish city of Mosul, turnout was better than expected in what has been a hostile place. Extra ballots had to be brought in." -- Richard Engel on the January 30 NBC Nightly News.

Election Triumph Belies Network Naysayers: Strong Turnout by Iraqi Voters and Relative Calm Contradict Many Journalists' Pessimistic Predictions

On Monday's Early Show, CBS's Dan Rather was ebullient. "This is an inspiring story and this is a joyful place today. Iraqis awoke today with a glint, a sparkle of freedom in their eyes," Rather exulted one day after millions of Iraqis voted in a free democratic election. "Even some areas influenced most by Sunni insurgents had a solid turnout yesterday," Rather noted. "The insurgents have suffered a significant setback."

Rather was right to be cheered by Sunday's events, but if the Iraqis had listened to the chorus of negativity coming from reporters in the days and weeks before the vote, he might not have had any good news to report. Pessimistic journalists suggested the election would be worthless and dangerous: Too few would vote to make the results "legitimate" while at the same time an army of terrorists would create a "bloodbath."

> Election Might "Demolish" Iraq: On his syndicated Chris Matthews Show this weekend, the openly anti-war MSNBC anchor comically suggested that the election might destroy Iraq. In a show taped before voting began, Matthews set up the topic: "Birth of a nation -- will elections unite Iraq or ignite civil war? Will this weekend's vote create a country or demolish it?...For Iraqis, a moment teeming with risk and potential: liberation or devastation."

> A "Bloodbath" on Sunday: FNC war reporter Steve Harrigan, who spent most of the last two years in Iraq, was deeply pessimistic in a Friday morning appearance on Fox & Friends. "I think there's going to be a bloodbath on Sunday," he predicted. "All over the place, especially in Baghdad and a few other cities, Mosul....About half the country's in big trouble." NBC's Matt Lauer hit the same theme as he began that morning's Today: "Bloody countdown. Amid growing violence, will Iraq be able to hold its first free elections in more than 50 years?"

> "No Way" Election Can Happen: Two months ago, some reporters suggested that the plan for holding elections on January 30 was an optimistic fantasy. On the November 26 Today, NBC's Katie Couric said elections "seem to be really questionable at this point in time." A few days later, on the December 5 Evening News, weekend anchor Mika Brzezinski declared that the situation in Iraq "seems only to worsen as election day gets closer and closer....Some are now saying there is no way the election deadline can be met."

> ...And No Legitimacy: Reporters argued the vote would mean nothing if the minority Sunnis stayed home. "If nearly a quarter of the population does not participate," ABC's David Wright wondered on World News Tonight January 5, "will the vote be legitimate?" And anyone predicting a high participation rate was labeled an "optimist," i.e., unrealistic. "Election officials optimistically predict a 50 percent voter turnout," reporter Kimberly Dozier announced on CBS's Early Show January 25. In fact, the turnout was much higher, with early estimates that 60 percent of Iraqis voted.

> Jennings Still Unsatisfied: On Sunday's World News Tonight, ABC's Peter Jennings seemed less than impressed. "It seemed a strange way to experience the democratic process, from the back of a heavily-armored vehicle," he grumped. In "parts of the Sunni Muslim heartland, it looks as if the election process has been rejected," Jennings sourly suggested. "Without Sunni participation, somehow, the future here is still pretty bleak."

"The media is reporting only explosions and suicide attacks that killed and injured many Iraqis s far but this hasn't stopped the Iraqis from marching towards their voting stations with more determination. Iraqis have truly raced the sun."

"I walked forward to my station, cast my vote and then headed to the box, where I wanted to stand as long as I could, then I moved to mark my finger with ink, I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants."

"I put the paper in the box and with it, there were tears that I couldn't hold; I was trembling with joy and I felt like I wanted to hug the box but the supervisor smiled at me and said "brother, would you please move ahead, the people are waiting for their turn".

"Yes brothers, proceed and fill the box!"

"These are stories that will be written on the brightest pages of history."

"It was hard for us to leave the center but we were happy because we were sure that we will stand here in front of the box again and again and again. Today, there's no voice louder than that of freedom."

"No more confusion about what the people want, they have said their word and they said it loud and the world has got to respct and support the people's will."

"God bless your brave steps sons of Iraq and God bless the defenders of freedom." -Mohammed and Omar

then I moved to mark my finger with ink, I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants.

I think this fact, that not only did people come out in the face of great potential for bodily harm during the election, but marked themselves with ink that will show for some period of time, shows the remarkable degree to which Iraqi's support the march to democracy. This ink will last for sometime before it fades, making it apparent to anyone who walks nearby, just who participated. That means that these people braved the prospect of retaliation not just during election day, but perhaps for days to come. Thank God for their bravery and resolve. Would that people in this country would not whine about long lines or so-called intimidation in the form of poll-watchers.

You could say this was one big "giving the finger" to the terrorist insurgency!

The ink is really not a bad idea, it stops people from voting twice. I recall hearing about an African election years ago, where the voters were similarly marked. So many were illiterate and couldn't register. Few had any form of legal identification. The indelible ink assured that everyone got to vote, once.

Think we should consider this in the US? Something sneaky like invisible ink, applied without the perp's knowledge, visible only under UV or infrared. Prosecute those caught and take a bite out of vote fraud...

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