Posted on 02/27/2010 9:01:15 PM PST by Saije
In the campaign posters that cover Baghdad's public surfaces like wallpaper, Iraqi candidates project an array of demeanors and identities that they hope will sway voters in next month's parliamentary elections.
Some grin; others scowl. They point accusingly at unseen enemies or extend open arms in a show of unity. Men appear in tailored suits to suggest cosmopolitanism, in tribal robes to appeal to more traditional Iraqis and in clerical turbans as a reminder to the devout. Thanks to a government quota, one in four candidates is female, and they reflect the broad spectrum of Iraqi womanhood, from lipstick and highlighted hair to bare faces framed by flowing black cloaks.***
Analyzing, judging and - especially - mocking all this posturing has become a national pastime as Iraqis prepare to vote on March 7.***
"Everyone puts his photo up with a very nice motto, but they're already in the government, so why haven't they implemented these mottos? It's all lies," said Ali Falah, 27, who's unemployed. "I was walking with my wife, and raindrops were falling on posters for a cleric. I told her, 'Wipe his face, he's crying.' She wiped his face with the edge of her sleeve until it was smudged."
Cheeky opponents of Ahmad Chalabi, the onetime U.S. ally and perennially controversial Shiite Muslim politician, are sending out e-mails of a faux poster with Chalabi's face superimposed on an ad for the classic 1940 film, "The Thief of Baghdad."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also a Shiite, is another frequent target. One of al-Maliki's campaign posters shows him standing shoulder to shoulder with the education minister. The men are wearing matching gray suits. The joke on the street: "Which one's the groom?"
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
LOL! Yep, there’s hope for representative government in Iraq. I wonder if any Joker posters have turned up...
Fantastic!
"For sure, I'll put my hand in yours!" exclaimed Haider Mahmoud, a 33-year-old construction worker whose eagerness wasn't related to the candidate's platform.
LOL! Ya gotta love it, Baghdad has it's very own Sarah Palin!
Hehehe! How true...
See? Those Iraqis WERE paying attention...:)
They will I’m sure.
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