Posted on 01/30/2005 7:57:33 AM PST by kattracks
Preliminary reports that turnout in Sunday's Iraq election has topped 70 percent have surprised American reporters, many of whom had predicted that terrorists would succeed in sabotaging the U.S.- backed referendum."I have to say, it's going a lot better than I thought it would," Rod Nordland, Newsweek's Baghdad bureau chief, said Sunday as the numbers came in. "The attacks by the insurgents, while they're numerous, haven't reached that kind of critical threshold where it really kept everybody home," he told the Fox News Channel.
With an hour left to go before the polls in Iraq close, Reuters reported that turnout had reached 72 percent nationwide. Election officials in Shiite areas say turnout there may top 90 percent.
Initial voter response was slow as the polls opened late Saturday U.S. time, but increased dramatically after threats of spectacular attacks failed to materialize. Of 5300 polling stations, only 15 reported attacks. 29 people were killed, including five police officers.
"Once it seemed like the worst was over, [voters] came out in very large numbers," Nordland said. While Sunni turnout was lower, "it was a lot better than would have been expected."
I understand why people would think this. Sunnis know they are going to lose. If they vote, they might get a slightly bigger share of the power pie, but they will be conferring legitimacy on the elections. From a Sunni point of view, not voting fits with their terrorist insurgency better. If they really think the terrorist insurgency is their best long-term strategy, then boycotting the elections (and attacking polling places) is the right thing to do. If they didn't think terrorism was a good strategy, they wouldn't still be terrorists.
Now it's up to the Shi'ites to convince the Sunnis to knock it off.
kattracks,
Could these folks that predicted gloom and doom be the same people that were conducting the exit polls during the 2004 election? I beleve none of what I hear and only half of what I see. Well.....I see....again.
Red
What a wonderful picture, it's a keeper.
Why did the MSM misjudge the Iraqi people? They're atheists or agnostics. They fear death, which is to be avoided at all costs. They will sacrifice any cause or principle to escape death, and can't imagine people acting otherwise.
As President Reagan said, "given the freedom to choose, people will choose freedom." The elitist liberals who make up the mainstream media will NEVER understand that concept.
You're being redundant :)
I guess Iraqi voters are braver than all the Dems who claim to have been prevented from voting in the US because of intimidation.
The Dems are such partisan POS.
Yuppers. This not only was a referendum on the Iraqi future, it also showed Al Queda, Zarqawi etc, the limits of terrorism. Compared to the turnout, the terrorism was like a flea bite on an elephant, virtually nonexistent.
All the killing they've done has only stiffened resistance to them and their butchering ways.
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That is a damn flat-out lie! There have been almost ZERO attacks - less than five. And the attackers were the ones who lost - each time.
DAMN THAT MSM PROPAGANDA! The liberals just HATE the fact that the sacrifices and dreaful loss of life and suffering of our U.S. Armed Forces have been so successful. They HATE it!
HOORAY for our troops on the ground in Iraq!
Only 70% turnout? Another miserable failure and defeat for freedom.
8-) Thanks. I needed that.
I love that Reagan quote!
LOL
John Kerry was staggeringly wrong, huh? "George Bush doesn't have a plan to win the peace". Idiot. The peace was just won.
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