Iraqi elections monumental success, disproving pundits
Andrew Dunn
Issue date: 2/4/05 Section: Ed-Op
January 30, 2005 turned out to be a beautiful day. I hate to admit it but I was a little concerned that Iraq's elections might end in failure? Fortunately, those pessimistic thoughts didn't stick around very long. When the polls closed, an estimated 72 percent of Iraqis had cast their ballot. By contrast, elections in the US typically range anywhere from 20 to 60 percent turnout.
Despite death threats from terrorists, Shias, Sunnis, Christians and Kurds exercised their right to vote. Some people walked as much as 8 miles for the opportunity we take for granted. One woman in labor went to the polls instead of the hospital; she gave birth right after voting. Even in troubled Sunni areas such as Mosul and Tikrit, residents gave the finger to Al Zarqawi and voted in higher numbers than expected. Americans, we should be inspired by the Iraqi people. There's no excuse why 72 percent of us can't vote in our next elections.
Iraq's road to democracy isn't over. There will be inner strife between ethnic groups. Terrorists along with Syria and Iran will try to undermine the government. Rome wasn't built in a day and a democratic Iraq won't be either. Still, the fact that this election happened at all should give us hope that even the most repressive places on Earth can change for the better. I wish the Iraqis all the best.
I'd like to stay positive but thanks to the Bush-haters of America, I can't. Days before the election, Senator Ted Kennedy called for the immediate pullout of at least 12,000 US troops. In an embarrassing tantrum, Kennedy linked our efforts in Iraq to France's failure in Algeria. The Senator from Massachusetts really knows how to show support for our troops and the people they've worked so hard to liberate.
Senator John Kerry appeared on NBC's Meet the Press with almost as much negativity. The failed Presidential candidate called the elections "significant" and "important" but said they shouldn't be "overhyped". Kerry went on to call the election a demarcation (creation of boundaries) and that it would take a "massive diplomatic outreach to the international community than the Bush administration has been willing to engage in." I guess all those Iraqi, Polish, British, Italian, Ukrainian, Japanese and Australian troops aren't "international" enough for Senator Kerry.
Despite death threats from terrorists, Shias, Sunnis, Christians and Kurds exercised their right to vote. Some people walked as much as 8 miles for the opportunity we take for granted. One woman in labor went to the polls instead of the hospital; she gave birth right after voting. Even in troubled Sunni areas such as Mosul and Tikrit, residents gave the finger to Al Zarqawi and voted in higher numbers than expected. Americans, we should be inspired by the Iraqi people. There's no excuse why 72 percent of us can't vote in our next elections.
Iraq's road to democracy isn't over. There will be inner strife between ethnic groups. Terrorists along with Syria and Iran will try to undermine the government. Rome wasn't built in a day and a democratic Iraq won't be either. Still, the fact that this election happened at all should give us hope that even the most repressive places on Earth can change for the better. I wish the Iraqis all the best.
I'd like to stay positive but thanks to the Bush-haters of America, I can't. Days before the election, Senator Ted Kennedy called for the immediate pullout of at least 12,000 US troops. In an embarrassing tantrum, Kennedy linked our efforts in Iraq to France's failure in Algeria. The Senator from Massachusetts really knows how to show support for our troops and the people they've worked so hard to liberate.
Senator John Kerry appeared on NBC's Meet the Press with almost as much negativity. The failed Presidential candidate called the elections "significant" and "important" but said they shouldn't be "overhyped". Kerry went on to call the election a demarcation (creation of boundaries) and that it would take a "massive diplomatic outreach to the international community than the Bush administration has been willing to engage in." I guess all those Iraqi, Polish, British, Italian, Ukrainian, Japanese and Australian troops aren't "international" enough for Senator Kerry.
Be the first to comment on this story