The First Democratic Election in The History of the Arab World Was A Success!!!

[Real American]

Much to the dismay of people like Ant, Tech, and Lost Angel.....the people of Iraq rejected terror and went to the polls for the first national democratic elections in the history of the Arab world. What a glorious and historic day, and it is all because of the efforts of President Bush and the United States, Great Britian, Australia, Poland, and all the other members of the coalition of the willing.

Think about the impact this will have on the rest of the Middle East. There is now going to be tremendous pressure on all of the corrupt dictatorship regimes that make up the other Arab governments to make democratic reforms. This election could be the spark that will bring freedom and democracy to hundreds of millions of Arabs in that part of the world.

Move over Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Poland, and Afghanistan....there is now another country that owes its freedom and democracy directly to the United States: Iraq! God bless America.

[white Boy]

Yea props, i read there was a great turnout.. a lot more people then they expected

[Lincoln]

The first? Was Afganistan considered unsuccessful?

Congrats to Iraq though, I hope to God things work out there.

[Rampant]

to be honest with you i was surprised that the voter turnout was high. I expect lots of bombings and scared citizens not voting, however voter turnout was high. Hopefully things will start to look up for them

[M Dogg™]

Much to the dismay of people like Ant, Tech, and Lost Angel......

Dismay of Lost Angel?

Homeboy, I hope for the best of the Iraqi people. I pray for the best. I am all for any improvements in Iraq. What I'm not for is us sticking our nose into business that's not ours, and lying to get into that business. If Iraq has elections, great for them. If it continues, even better, they'd beat the odds as most forced democracies fall, and Iraq will join Japan as a democracy forced by war to actually survive. I hope they do end up like Japan and show as a model for Arabic countries on how to run a democracy. That would be great. Iraq having free elections is not my thing, it's us putting ourself in huge debt and making up lies to handle all of this. If it was a straight forward liberation mission, then I would not be as mad, but instead it was a straight lie.

I hope the Iraqi democracy works, I also hope our government is not doing this for evil. I said, Bush doing evil

[Mindless Minority]

Apparently it got a bit lairy between rival Iraqis here in England.

They should be happy they having running water nevermind democracy.  Ungrateful cunts. 

[Matrix Heart]

Syria/Iran will control Iraq 


compliments of France

All Americans should be saying "God Bless France"

"There is no doubt that America would not have won the Revolutionary War without France's financial and military aid and that Franklin was almost entirely responsible for obtaining that aid."

[Rampant]

We saved france' ass in the world war big time. They owe us more.

[Woodrow]

Syria/Iran will control Iraq 


All Americans should be saying "God Bless France"

"There is no doubt that America would not have won the Revolutionary War without France's financial and military aid and that Franklin was almost entirely responsible for obtaining that aid."

You're a moron. Nice try on the threadajack...


Here's an article on the voting:


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Some came on crutches, others walked for miles then struggled to read the ballot, but across Iraq, millions turned out to vote Sunday, defying insurgents who threatened a bloodbath.

Suicide bombs and mortars killed at least 27 people, but voters still came out in force for the first multi-party poll in 50 years. In some places they cheered with joy at their first chance to cast a free vote, in others they shared chocolates.

Even in Falluja, the Sunni city west of Baghdad that was a militant stronghold until a U.S. assault in November, a steady stream of people turned out, confounding expectations. Lines of veiled women clutching their papers waited to vote.

"We want to be like other Iraqis, we don't want to always be in opposition," said Ahmed Jassim, smiling after he voted.

In Baquba, a rebellious city northeast of Baghdad, spirited crowds clapped and cheered at one voting station. In Mosul, scene of some of the worst insurgent attacks in recent months, U.S. and local officials said turnout was surprisingly high.

One of the first to vote was President Ghazi al-Yawar, a Sunni Muslim Arab with a large tribal following, who cast his ballot inside Baghdad's fortress-like Green Zone.

"Thanks be to God," he told reporters, emerging from the booth with his right index finger stained with bright blue ink to show he had voted. "I hope everyone will go out and vote."

In the relatively secure Kurdish north, people flowed steadily to the polls. One illiterate man in Arbil, 76-year-old Said Rasool, came alone and was turned away, unable to read the ballot paper. He said he would return with someone to help.

Even in the so-called "triangle of death," a hotbed of Sunni insurgency south of Baghdad, turnout was solid, officials said.

FESTIVE VOTING

In mainly Shi'ite Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, hundreds of voters queued patiently at polling centers. "I am not afraid," said Samir Khalil Ibrahim. "This is like a festival for all Iraqis."

A small group cheered in Baghdad as Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein, a descendant of Iraq's last king, went to the polls. Ali leads a constitutional monarchy slate in the election.

Western Baghdad polling stations were busy, with long queues of voters. Most went about the process routinely, filling in their ballots and leaving quickly without much emotion.

Others brought chocolates for those waiting in line, and shared festive juice drinks inside the voting station.

Samir Hassan, 32, who lost his leg in a car bomb blast in October, was determined to vote. "I would have crawled here if I had to. I don't want terrorists to kill other Iraqis like they tried to kill me. Today I am voting for peace," he said, leaning on his metal crutches, determination in his reddened eyes.

In Sadr City, a poor Shi'ite neighborhood of northeast Baghdad, thick lines of voters turned out, women in black abaya robes in one line, men in another.

Some of the first to vote countrywide were policemen, out in force to protect polling centers from attack, part of draconian security measures put in place by U.S. and Iraqi officials.

In Samarra, a restive Sunni-Shi'ite city north of Baghdad, the crackle of gunfire was heard minutes after polls opened.

After a few hours, only about 100 people had voted at one of two polling sites. One woman, covered head-to-toe in black robes, kept her face concealed, but said she voted with pride.

In nearby Baiji, some people were unable to vote because electoral officials failed to turn up. "We are waiting for the manager with the key," said an election worker, apologizing.

"VOTE FOR HUMANITY"

In the shrine city of Najaf in the Shi'ite heartland, hundreds of people walked calmly to polling stations. Security around Najaf, attacked before, was some of the tightest.

"This is a wedding for all Iraqis. I congratulate all Iraqis on their newfound freedom and democracy," said Jaida Hamza, dressed in a black Islamic veil that also hid her face.

Shi'ites, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's people, are expected to win the vote, overturning years of oppression.

In Kirkuk, a city divided between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, Kurds turned out in force, as expected, but there were signs Arabs and Turkmen were boycotting, angered by what they see as voting rules that favor Kurds.

One of the biggest surprises was Mosul, a mixed Sunni Arab and Kurd city in the far north. "So far it's gone very well, much better than expected," said a U.S. army officer.

Baghdad's mayor was overcome with emotion by the turnout of voters at City Hall, where he said thousands were celebrating.

"I cannot describe what I am seeing. It is incredible. This is a vote for the future, for the children, for the rule of law, for humanity, for love," Alaa al-Tamimi told Reuters.

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050130/2005-01-30T141229Z_01_BAK023473_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-IRAQ-ELECTION-SCENE-DC.html

[Matrix Heart]

We saved france' ass in the world war big time. They owe us more.

There is no USA minus France.

Call it even 

You're a moron. Nice try on the threadajack...

I was replying to what CWalker187 said in the first post trying to teach an American a thing or two.

[Woodrow]

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush called Sunday's elections in Iraq a success and promised the United States will continue trying to prepare Iraqis to secure their own country.

"The world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East," Bush told reporters at the White House on Sunday, four hours after the polls closed. He did not take questions after his three-minute statement.

Bush praised the bravery of Iraqis who turned out to vote despite continuing violence and intimidation. Bush said voters "firmly rejected the antidemocratic ideology" of terrorists.

Iraqis defied threats of violence and calls for a boycott to cast ballots in their first free election in a half-century Sunday.

Insurgents struck polling stations with a string of suicide bombings and mortar volleys, killing at least 44 people, including nine suicide bombers.

"Some Iraqis were killed while exercising their rights as citizens," Bush said. He also mourned the loss of American and British troops killed Sunday.

Bush cautioned that the election will not end violence in Iraq, but said U.S. forces will continue training and helping Iraqis "so this rising democracy can eventually take responsibility for its own security."

In a statement Sunday, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass, said Bush "must look beyond the election."

"The best way to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that we have no long-term designs on their country is for the administration to withdraw some troops now" and negotiate further withdrawals, Kennedy added.

 
(AP) In this photograph provided by Meet The Press, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., talks about the election...
Full Image
 
 
Earlier Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iraqi will now work to reduce ethnic or sectarian differences, and the United States will discuss the continued need for outside security forces with the newly elected Iraqi government.

"We all recognize the Iraqis have a long road ahead of them," Rice said on CBS'"Face The Nation."

"The insurgency is not going to go away as a result of today," Rice added.

Rice would not say whether U.S. forces will leave the country in great numbers after the vote, and Bush did not mention any U.S. military withdrawals.

So far, more than 1,400 U.S. troops and many thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives. The United States is spending more than $1 billion a week in Iraq.

Rice said the election went better than expected, but did not elaborate on U.S. predictions for turnout, violence or other measures.

In Iraq, officials said turnout among the 14 million eligible voters appeared higher than the 57 percent they had predicted. Complete voting results are not expected for days.

Polls were largely deserted all day in many cities of the Sunni Triangle. In Baghdad's mainly Sunni Arab area of Azamiyah, the neighborhood's four polling centers did not open at all, residents said.

A low Sunni turnout could undermine the new government and worsen tensions among the country's ethnic, religious and cultural groups.

"It is hard to say that something is legitimate when whole portions of the country can't vote and doesn't vote," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said on NBC's "Meet The Press."

The Bush administration has a great deal riding on the election. Strong turnout and results that the world views as legitimate could speed the departure of American troops.

A stable Iraqi government could help mend alliances frayed by international opposition to the U.S.-led invasion, and Republicans on the ballot in 2006 and 2008 also would be relieved. Success could also buttress Bush's long-term goal to promote democracy across the Middle East, where family dynasties and authoritarian rulers outnumber democracies.

Problems with the election could complicate Bush's foreign policy aims, as well as the success of costly items on his second-term domestic agenda, such as partially privatizing Social Security.

Iraq's Shiite majority was widely expected to dominate the government that emerges from Sunday's elections, and some of the highest initial turnout reports came from overwhelmingly Shiite areas.

Even with lower turnout among Sunni Arabs, the government can be representative of all Iraqis, Rice said. She also downplayed concerns that a Shiite-dominated government will morph into a theocracy.

"I'm sure that they will have a healthy debate about the role of Islam, about the role of religion in that society," Rice said on CNN's "Late Edition."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050130/D87UJ6GO0.html

[Ant]

At least something was a success (supposedly).  Although I'm still unsure what our metric for success was in this case?   

[*Jamal*]

Certain corrupt dictatorships are okay with us... as long as they don't nationalize anything... they can violate human rights violations, kill people, etc but don't do anything to help your economy that will hurt ours

[tommyilromano]

I was surprised by how well it went.

[King Tech Quadafi]

Hey C Walker, can u explain to me why the Arab world hasnt had elections till now?