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The Iraqis have voted in a historic election. Here are some thoughts in no particular order.
Bush wins big
For months now, we have been hearing how it is impossible to hold elections because of the security issue. We have been told elections must be postponed. Bush never wavered and he never flinched. His steadfastness was vindicated today.
Bush Sandbags the Media
They expected a blood bath in Iraq during the elections. Not to miss an opportunity to make Bush looked badly, they pulled out all the stops to broadcast Bush’s “failure.†They misunderestimated him again. Instead of covering a disaster, they wound up covering a huge success. Instead of making Bush look bad, they have shown the wisdom of his determination.
The Terrorist take a Hit
The terrorist lost big time. The security preparations pretty much shut down the terrorists. With vehicular traffic banned, they were reduced to walk-in suicide bombers. They had some, but their impact was ineffectual.
The election and the Iraqis enthusiasm for it, is a big blow to the terrorists. The fact that Iraqis were willing to let themselves be marked for voting shows, the terrorist can hurt people, but they cannot stop the tide of history. It is now clear. It is not IF they will be defeated, but WHEN.
The Iraqis are a Brave People
I don’t know if I would have gone to the polls with the kind of threats the Iraqis faced today. I have said for a long time, that freedom cannot be given to a people. The must earn it. Today I think the Iraqis made a down payment on their freedom. Strangely enough, they fought not with bullets and bombs, but paper ballots. It was an impressive and awe inspiring demonstration.
The Democrats are in Deep Trouble
Kennedy makes his asinine speech three days before the Iraq election and now all we hear from the Democrats is silence – except for, perhaps, Lieberman. He is possibly the only sane Democrat left in the Senate.
The Democrats have lost the Presidency, Congress, the Senate and a majority of Governorships. They are bereft of ideas and all they have left is their hatred of Bush and Karl Rove.
I believe that Bush and Rove have, as part of their agenda, the destruction of the Democratic Party. It looks like they are well on their way to achieving it.
Great Epilog to Bush’s Inauguration Address
In his inauguration address, Bush spoke about spreading Democracy and freedom around the world. The Iraq election is a great follow-on to his speech. The jubilation exhibited by the Iraqi’s shows the power of freedom to a people long subject to brutality.
It is the End of the Beginning
One election does not make a democracy. Just because the terrorists lost this round doesn’t mean they’ll just give up. The Iraqis and we will have to either capture or kill them one by one.
Few countries want to see the Iraqis succeed. The Middle East countries don’t what a democracy on their doorstep. The Europeans don’t what Iraq to succeed because George Bush is the guy behind it. Everyone will SAY the right things, but they’ll be hoping for failure.
The Iraqis still need to figure out how to make all the disparate groups work together. That’s a tall order.
There are a zillion ways this could go wrong, but for now, we’ll celebrate the here and now.
Posted by Ted at January 30, 2005 9:36 PM