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."
Iraqis citizens give US media the finger...
Yeah - I think they misunderstood the reporting. I thought I heard FOX say that of those voting today 10% were ex-pats in the US?
But then what do you expect from people who think exit polls should trump the ballot box?
...and has anyone wondered why we should heed advice from a group of people who's own lives are so messed up that they can't even hold a job?
It will be interesting to see how long we have to wait for the inevitable photo of a purple middle finger. Guaranteed it will happen.
I am totally convinced that a President Kerry (shudder) would have postponed the elections and would have claimed that Iraq is not secure enough to hold elections as a result of Bush's mismanagement of the war. Of course, Iraq would have slipped into chaos and Kerry would simply point to it as yet more proof that Bush's policy in Iraq was doomed to failure.
And you would have the Ted Kennedys and George Soros of the world chortling and saying "I told you so."
I have no doubt in my mind that this would have been the result had Kerry won this election.
Why do you say that?
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."
bump! bump! bump!
The Blue Finger my nomination for Times man/woman of the year.
When is ABC going to pull the plug on this idiot? A majority of the Iraq population has been terrorized by a minority for decades. Free elections will put every one on a more even footing and will allow the semblance of a peaceful co-existence to begin. Peter Jennigs is a psychotic liar = like all dems and the DisneyABC cartel handlers.
The libs have succeeded in devaluing the definition of truth into a process of psycho-babble that is in a constant flux of meaning. It's all a matter of the meaning of the word "is". Just like the Nazis in WW2 the dems will agitiate until the have scared enough people into submission and then try to take over the bureacracy and eliminate christianity and any thing else they don't understand.
"Peter Jennings' last line on his Friday ABC newscast was 'that the Iraq ielections would be very divisive...' ( and therefore bad.)"
I guess he's wishing for the good old days when 99% of the votes were for Saddam Hussein.
It's amazing how the left has become the ally of neo-fascists and terrorists.
Most talking heads have never started a business, run an organization or had any recognizable responsibility for anything save cashing their own paychecks and with direct deposit that opportunity is nearly gone.
The hands on knowledge of how to conduct any project that entails planning, logistics and constant feedback is something the majority of wage slaves never get to experience. A campaign to do anything involves more than planning an exit strategy and a definition of when to quit.A campaign involves accounting for variations in realized goals, realigning expectations to match reality, and proceeding on with the next project phase. No one knew when the army rolled up to Baghdad what to expect. No one knew if there would be battles or chemical warfare. It's obvious that the war started after the American army and their allies setup shop in the various parts of Iraq.
For the media to claim that we didn't plan for the insurgency is ridiculous. In any campaign you meet the challenges as they arise and that's what we have done.
The definition of real success is an unknown quantity to the MSM and the majority of dems disparaging the army, the president and the republican congress. Success is finishing the job you started with a recognizeable form of success related to the original project goals. We have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams in Iraq. If only someone would have the guts to stand up and say so.
No doubt about it...you know, sometimes I wonder how does it feel to live while history is being made...now I can say it feels so good!!
70% of Iraqis Risk Lives to Thank United States for Freedom!
Harrigan is on FNC right now stating he was wrong. He further stated that freedom as an innate want in humanity turned out to be stronger than giving into fear. Well Duh!
I saw that too.
At least he was man enough to come on air and say publically he was wrong.
Harrigan seems like a good guy. I think he has seen to much death and destruction to give an optimistic opinion.
He sure did scare me Friday though. I didn't even turn on the news until 10:00 am this morning. I feared the bloodbath.
"I didn't even turn on the news until 10:00 am this morning."
I was awake at 4:30 a.m. and immediately turned on the TV. I had to know.
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