Ten minutes until the opening of the polls… I am watching Fox News where Geraldo has been up since before dawn in Baghdad covering the election. Rivera gets a lot of bad press, but the man has guts and he has a heart. In the old days he was considered a liberal… and he still is in my book. It’s his critics who have gone the other way. I’m glad to have him as my guide to Iraq this morning (night here in LA) because I know that democracy is more important to him than party poltics, as it should be for all of us. I’m exceited. More to come.
CNN has Amanpour, a woman who makes my stomach turn. They have crews set up in front of polling places in Baghdad and Najaf. It would seem that the violence would start early in order to discourage voting. But so far nothing.
7:10 (Iraq time) – watching IRaqi interim pres Ghazi Al-Yawar voting inside the Green Zone. Who could blamed him?
7:12 – Back on Fox… showing people voting in Baghdad and somewhere else… so far no violence… fingers crossed.
7:15 – Sunni officials voting early to show the Sunnis that they should vote. Good idea.
7:17 – Scary moment on Fox with Tony Snow talking to correspondent in Baghdad interrupted by a loud noise — it was US helicopters. What an incredilbe world we now live in – everything so far yet so close.
7:20 – Fox is reporting random gunifre. Doesn’t seem like much. I find this election more exciting than our own. IT’s the risk factor, I guess.
7:21 – I know everyone will, but feel free to join in. This is a group project. No single person could keep up with these events. You will see things I don’t and understand things I don’t.
7:23 – Is this going to be an historic day in world history. It’s quite possible, isn’t it?
7:24 – Fantastic view from drone of “insurgents” running for their lives. Smart psyop.
7:25 – Just had this strange thought that the arrest of Zarqawi will be announced today. Wishful thinking?
7:30 – Oops. Live coverage seems to be diminshing. We now have to listen to Jane Arraf. Not for me, thank you.
7:35 – Iraqis have 111 choices in their election. I’ve never had to deal with that many candidates, except for the California Recall Election. Now there’s a thought – Arnold for Prime Minister of Iraq. That would take care of those “insurgents.” And maybe the Iraqis have more liberal laws about aliens running.
7:36 – one out of three candidates must be a woman. Not bad.
7:40 – Looks like no violence but few voters so far. Of course it’s very early.
7:42 – continued images of an empty polling place in Baghdad (on Fox) juxtaposed with commentary bu more liberal Arabs advocating democracy. What about the people? Walid Phares is enthusiastic, however.
7:47 – Strange to see Clinton suddenly appear on HEadline News, walking about Davos. Evidently he admitted his error in Rwanda – could have saved two or three hundred thousand lives. Yes, he could have. Bush stepped up in IRaq. Times have changes.
7:43 Tony Snow talks about sudden pro-democracy shift by the NYT. It’s about time. Let’s hope it’s permanent.
7;45 – There are currently 675 people on this site, so I guess I should continue, although things are a little slow. Now Snow is having a discussion of Ted Kennedy’s ultra-reactionary demand for a pullout from Iraq only days before the election.
7:53 – Adam Schiff, Democratic Congressman from Glendale, CA, is being very forthright in his support of the elction.
7:55 – Judging from the uptown dress of the voters, Fox looks to have it’s camera at the Beverly Hills of Beghdad polling station. I don’t blame them, but too bad they didn’t have the guts to set up in the middle of working class Iraq (well, maybe not Sadr City).
8:02 – Now I finally understand… what we have been looking at is the so-called Copnvention Center, not a normal polling place. More people were even coming in and out of a polling place in Sard City. (running out of battery – will be off line for about three minutes)
8:07 – Some asshole on CNN has just announced that this is the “nightmare scenario” because some polling place in Baquba isn’t open yet. This character… don’t know his name… seemed almost smug that something was going wrong.
8:11 – Great day for the Kurds. They deserve it!
8:13 – It’s amazing that CNN still uses Brent Sadler for its coverage. Doesn’t he miss his buddy Saddam?
8:15 – Fox is not as good as CNN at location coverage. Murdoch doesn’t seem to care. Too bad. This leaves a real hole in American television journalism. Maybe the blogosphere will fill it some day.
8:22 – Everyone is saying this vote is far from perfect, but what is a perfecdt vote anyway? I have no idea.
8:18 – Wouldn’t it be interesting if the level of violence for the day is low, really low? What will the media say? Probably, as AManpour already hinted, that the country was under the equivalent of martial law. Therefore it’s meaningless. But it’s not.
8:24 – I feel bad for the Iraqis being photoraphed and televised as they vote. Not just because of the obvious risk, but because of the general feeling of exposure. I wouldn’t like to be filmed voting, particularly, and I’ve been doing it for thirty-five years.
8:28 – First violent incident reported on Fox. Hard to know if it’s anything.
8:30 – Since this election, at least in America, is a cable news event, how ab out Zocor and Viagra for each Iraqi who votes (now you’re getting punchy, Simon).
8:33 – One polling place hit by mortars. Still no word on casualties.
8:38 – Seems like the “Insurgents” are making some noise. The suicide bomber was stopped at a checkpoint. Good. But will the people come out to vote?
8:41 – Discussion of corrupt police who will set bombs at polling stations from the inside. Sounds like LA in the Forties… well, maybe not. The issue at this early point, it seems to me, is that if there is a relatively low level of violence but the people still do not vote, what does that mean? There are many ways to spin that and I’m sure we will see all of them.
8:45 – It’s weird watching an election when you really have to no horse in the race (no candidate). You’re only hoping a lot of people will vote and that they will be safe.
8:50 – Looks like a real line to vote in Sadr City. (Not as long as the one I saw today in front of NBC in Burbank waiting to be on some reality show, but long enough.)
8:55 – The idea that anyone is still interested in Jesse Jackson’s opinion about anything amazes me.
9:00 – Frankly, I miss Geraldo. He is still the best guide for this event.
9:o1 – Yes! Geraldo back from a jammed polling place. He’s inspired. It’s the BErlin Wall and the Civil Rights era… I want to believe you Geraldo. I want to believe! Now he’s calling it Rocky.
9:02 – Geraldo admits he is only at one community (Western outskirts of Baghdad) so doesn’t speak for all of Iraq… but what I like about this man is he wants the world to be a good place. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it, but in our media it is unfortunately a rare thing. Way to go, guy. All your exs will now excuse you.
9:05 – Now it’s the nefarious Chelabi, the man who is supposedly guilty of so many things but never actually gets convicted of anyting… well, once in Jordan, I guess… and now here he is apparently headed for the Iraqi Assembly. Fascinating. He and Geraldo seem to love each other. Two rascals. But loveable today, neverthless.
9:10 – Another suicide bomber. A couple of police were killed with the psychopath who did this. Sad. Still, doesn’t seem like very much is happening. Early turnout is supposedly heavy.
9:12 – Now that the NYT is waking up (a little) I wonder if Europe will follow. I think it’s possible.
9:16 – Watching the line of Kurds voting makes you cry.
9:21 – I know it sounds corny, but those of us in the blogosphere–readers, writers, commenters–who supported our government’s actions in Iraq and suffered the opprobrium of friends and family, were called warmongers and chickenhawks, this is a time to celebrate. This is what we wer fighting for in the war of opinion. It’s not much, especially compared to our brave troops, but it something.
9;30 – Mrs. Francke, the Iraqi Un Ambassador, is filled with optimism. Let’s hope. Meanwhile, on CNN, the Iraqis are drowning out Jane Arraf. Good for them.
9:35 – Some reactionary bozo on CNN is complaining that one suicide bomber got through this morning. What a drip.
9:40 – Mubarak is getting dissed on Fox. He deserves it. IRaq gets democracy. Why not Egypt? Time to eliminate hypocrisy from foreign policy. We’re on the way.
9:43 – There is an appalling Baghdad correspondernt on CNN who seems almost desperate for things to go wrong, but they’re not. He keeps going on and on about the danger.
9:54 – Of course, this is also a great day for Paul Wolfowitz. It vindicates him.
9:55 – Susan Estrich is a tone deaf reactionary. WHat kind of bullshit is she talking right now about we didn’t go to Iraq to bring democracy. Speak for yourself Susan. IF you expect people like me to ever go back to the Democratic Party, wise up. You sound stupid and out of it.
10:00 – Okay, I’m signing off now. I’m going to need a good night sleep to be able to listen all the spin doctors turn a victory for democracy into some kind of partisan nonsense. I salute you all. And I salute the Iraq people. Thanks for joining me. I hope I’m around for more nights like this.
PJM Home
Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:
1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.
2. Stay on topic.
3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.
4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.
The clause regarding "hate speech" has been deleted because readers criticized it as being too loosely defined. We agreed.
These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pajamasmedia.com.
154 Comments
1. chuck:I’m with you Roger. Damn, it’s going to be a long night. At least it isn’t a Tuesday.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:06 pm 2. CERDIP:Same same.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:08 pm 3. Dilys:May all the powers of good protect and encourage these people at this turning point of their modern history. Let wisdom prevail, and hope be justified.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:12 pm 4. BeckyJ:Very very exciting. And the best part is a line of top Sunni officials are making sure they are among the first at the polls and that this is captured on TV. The pessimism of Zogby and the rest of the chattering class is grossly misplaced (not that they will notice that).
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:15 pm 5. BeckyJ:OK, so I posted simultaneously with Roger…great minds watching Fox….
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:16 pm 6. PajamaHadin:It’s bound to be a long night. I hope the violence can be kept to a minimum and that the Iraqi people are not dissuaded from their optimisim, hope, and thirst for freedom.
Ali at the Free Iraqi Blog wrote yesterday:
“Tomorrow I and the Iraqis that are going to vote will rule, not the politicians we’re going to vote for, as it’s our decision and they’ll work for us this time and if we don’t like them we’ll kick them out! Tomorrow my heart will race my hand to the box. ”
You can also find a repository of related Iraqi Election information and news here.
Iraq Election Facts, Military Blogs and News on the Ground
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:16 pm 7. Dilys:Here’s the first photo I’ve seen:
http://mysteryachievement.blogspot.com/2005/01/worth-thousand-words.html
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:19 pm 8. mikem:This is such an exciting and emotional moment. Prayers for all the brave Iraqi people at their moment of freedom and for all the peoples still living under oppressive dictatorships in the Middle East.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:22 pm 9. BeckyJ:I was just over at Friends of Democracy and they are going to be part of a live CNN broadcast tomorrow (Sunday) from 2-4pm EST. They are soliciting questions and comments from readers for the broadcast.
Tony Snow is theorizing that activity at the polls is still a bit slow because people are waiting to see if any attacks occur.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:27 pm 10. Final Historian:Roger, if they have him in custody, now would be the time to say so. It would be a rather nasty blow to the insurgents morale, and would help raise the moral of the average Iraqi on the street.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:31 pm 11. dougf:Hi all.If you are all watching Fox,please continue posting any highlights of their coverage.I am stuck with CNN and I loath every moment of its coverage.
HELP !!!
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:32 pm 12. BeckyJ:Roger – Yes, I think this election has world historical importance. For too long, conventional wisdom has held that democracy was not possible in the Middle East due to cultural constraints (valuing community over the individual, too used to authoritarian regimes, religious influences, etc.). If nothing else, this election and the one in Afghanistan are going far to disprove that misconception.
Larry Diamond has a great analysis in the latest edition of The Journal of Democracy along with a number of other big names in the field of democratization. Diamond is rather optimistic about the long term results. For those of you interested in the analytical end of things I highly recommend these articles. Of course, this is my field so I’m a bit geeky about these things.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:37 pm 13. BeckyJ:Fox is mainly showing shots of polling places and Tony Snow is filling in with comments and discussion with a variety of people (whoever they can get on the phone or in the studio, I think).
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:40 pm 14. Assistant Village Idiot:I pray that small boys will play soccer in the streets tomorrow.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:42 pm 15. Ray:This incredible twelve hours will be remembered for a long time to come. The Iraqi’s will vote, and they will throw away the shackles of oppression. The free world will belatedly congratulate them for their efforts.
I congratulate President Bush, his cabinet and the awesome military forces that have helped the Iraqi people make this possible.
A new era has arrived in the middle east.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:44 pm 16. Karl:Only 111 candidates? Piece of cake. Try navigating the Cook County, Illinois judicial retention ballot some time.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:48 pm 17. Molokai_Man:Fox is smart. Show empty polling places, make the insurgent jackoffs monitoring Fox think nobody’s voting—-why bomb empty polling places?
If they make it past noon, then people that have set their wheels in motion to vote are already underway.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:51 pm 18. hermeneutics:I’m flipping between Fox and CNN seeing images of EMPTY polling places. Is this true? Are the Iraqis avoiding the polls?
I’m so excited for them! This must succeed.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:51 pm 19. Allah:Er, I know it’s still early, but has even a single voter come into that polling place Fox keeps showing since the Iraqi president cast his ballot?
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:53 pm 20. hermeneutics:I simply can’t believe that Fox is purposely showing empty polling places to deceive the terrorists. On Fox, the polling place still looks empty. Wish they had feeds from other polling places in Iraq, particularly in the Kurdish north.
Hey, I see a voter! One. Phew.
Jan 29, 2005 - 8:57 pm 21. Keith:I’m not up to date on the political parties in Iraq so I went to Memri and looked at some of the platforms.
Check out this guy:
Constitutional Monarchy Movement (#349)
This movement is headed by al-Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein (Sunni), a cousin of the last Iraqi monarch assassinated by a military coup in 1958 which put an end to the Iraqi monarchy. The key political objective of the movement is the restoration of the monarchy under a democratic and federal regime.
You an always hope, I guess.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:01 pm 22. Wallace:I echo your sentiments concerning Geraldo.
I used to hold him in somewhat low regard, not so much for his liberal bent, but because of the sensationalist fluff he became accustomed to offering up. However in the interviews I have seen him hold in the Mid East combat theater he has seemed to me to be more than fair and even exhibited some good deal of comraderie with troops he is interviewing.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:02 pm 23. Athos:It’s still very early, and I’m sure a large number of Iraqi’s are testing the water first so to speak before jumping in.
I’m confident that the vote will have a higher turnout than the US did last November. The efforts of the Iraqi’s and Coalition against the terrorists in the past several weeks are bearing some real benefit.
Roger – keep on commenting, I’m splitting my time between your site and LGF – and watching a couple of cablenews channels.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:06 pm 24. bill:I too have changed my opinion somewhat of Geraldo. He flips back and forth.
But the most troubling aspect of the Iraq election is what Geraldo said — how can any sane person not support the election at this point in time. From my perspective. The Democrats are clearly going off the cliff. It is not right to take partisanship to the levels we now see.
I don’t understand what has happened to half the people in the US.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:07 pm 25. hermeneutics:CNN just had a reporter who was standing in front of an empty polling place — neither voters nor election poll workers.
I’m feeling sick to my stomach. Patience, my heart.
Oh, where are the voters?
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:09 pm 26. kathianne:The live blogging is just what I needed. I’ve been so apprehensive all day, but buoyed by the news so far. I expected problems, I’m glad to have been proven wrong.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:11 pm 27. Athos:FNC just has a live feed from a polling place in Mosul – a couple of Iraqi soldiers voting – and talked about a few mortar rounds that landed about 300-400 meters from a school / polling place.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:12 pm 28. Molokai_Man:Patience, everyone. Rememeber, if you’re an Iraqi voter, caution would dictate waiting until the first hour or two passes for any initial attacks to take place. Expect the surge of voting to take place around noon.
Also, the camera feeds are probably what scare somevoters away. If you were a scumgab insurgent, wouldn’t you target a polling place with camera coverage?
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:17 pm 29. ambisinistral:Keith,
You mean to say you’re not a member of the The Monarchist Society of America? I am. Well, that is as long as I get a Baroncy and some peasant oafs to kick around I’m Purple through and through.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:18 pm 30. Molokai_Man:Fox News breathlessly reported a blast near a polling station. Some casualties, unclear if they are voters or not.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:24 pm 31. Athos:Molokai_Man,
The only worry I would have is if a few polling places get very crowded – they will be even more tempting targets for the terrorists.
As for the camera feeds, quite possible, but there are a lot of photos and video footage taken in the past of attacks – to the point that it sometimes looks like the news organization or independent photog might have been tipped off.
In that case several months ago where 3 election workers were executed in the middle of a Baghdad street, the AP got a tip for a “demonstration” telling them of the place and time to be there….
I guess, if a bunch of media suddenly showed up where there were none before – I’d think about getting out of Dodge.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:26 pm 32. chuck:Here’s a link to kurdsat. Just music videos at this time — I don’t think they are on the air yet — but they provide some appropriate background music though. Of course, it is all in Kurdish.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:29 pm 33. ambisinistral:Amazing how Al Reuters are the ones reporting on the bombing, aint it? I wonder if one of their stringers got invited to a demonstration and just happened to be there?
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:30 pm 34. Terry Ott:Early, but exit polls indicate that Saddam Hussein will not match his 104% voter preference total this time around… stay tuned.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:38 pm 35. CERDIP:CNN keeps playing these retrospectives of bad things that have happened in the past two years.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:41 pm 36. chuck:Ali has headed off to vote. He says he will post when he gets back.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:44 pm 37. Sandy P:Kind of OT, but it does include the media, anyone need a shower after this?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/29/tech/main670268.shtml
(CBS) In a testament to the power of the Web, and to the power of political freedom, Internet viewers now have access to two very different images of war, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.
One is run by a single man with a shoestring budget, and the other is backed by all the resources of the U.S. military.
But on the Internet, the ideas behind both are on an even playing field.
Maj. Scott Bleichwehl says he believes there is too much focus on news that isn’t so good in Iraq.
To combat this focus on negativity, he runs a Web site featuring images showing progress in Iraq.
“We’re trying to reach the media and the general public with the information that we feel was pertinent to that operation,” he says.
Trevor Davis, a 26 year-old blogger, runs a Web site that features disturbing images that most Americans don’t see on the evening news or in a newspaper.
Davis says he created crisispictures.org because he doesn’t feel Americans are getting the whole picture from Iraq.
“I really believe that if we’re going to take responsibility for this war we have to know what its costs are,” he says….
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:46 pm 38. yadid:A question to all:
If the elections will run smoothly at least as in the US of A, would it reasonable for the Iraqi government to ask for Early Exit (EE) of Sen. Kennedy from the US senate?
Just a thought….
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:46 pm 39. Keith:Both Fox and MSNBC have now interviewed or showed old interviews of the guy who pulled Sadam out of the hole. There’s only so many people to interview, the reporters must be lining up.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:48 pm 40. Sandy P:But on the bright side, also via Lucianne:
AMMAN – Nearly two thirds of registered voters are expected to have cast their vote after the second day of absentee balloting in Iraq’s election, organizers said on Saturday. “I believe by the end of today it is likely that we will be close to two thirds of those who registered having participated in the vote with one day still to go,” said Peter Erben,…
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7473978
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:49 pm 41. Terry Ott:I really needed Jesse Jackson’s wise counsel to get me through this harrowing night. What we lack is a “global exit strategy” (is that what he said, or did I just hallucinate that?), blah, blah, blah, … something about “you cain’t have democracy at gunpoint”, blah, blah …
Send him on over to the next network. Please. Thank you.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:53 pm 42. Stephen_M:To Roger’s 8:41 – Should there be a relatively low turnout then Iraq’s representatives will have been elected by the county’s stoutest hearts. Fine with me.
Jan 29, 2005 - 9:54 pm 43. Terry Ott:Geraldo should work for Condi.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:05 pm 44. Dick:My god. This is a real life “Super Bowl” game and Geraldo is doing a suburb Madden impression. CNN is running true to form hoping for success in their agenda with a failure (or lots of death) on Iraq’s first election day in 50 years.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:08 pm 45. Terry Ott:Stephen M:
Right you are. Absolutely. They DO play a lot of soccer there, so if the final score were to be 2-nil, so be it. Play on.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:09 pm 46. chuck:Guess Jesse figures its never too late to surrender and admit defeat. Maybe he should consider his own advice.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:11 pm 47. Terry Ott:Roger: To your 9:05 post ….
Chalabi is more than a rascal-scoundrel. He’s a schmuck of the first order and bound to infect whatever he mucks around in. But, you know what? He is free to run for whatever he wants run for and the people are free to say “no thanks, go and do your manipulation elsewhere — like in the private sector, or in Europe, if you can get away with it”. So it is now in Iraq, for once (and hopefully for all time).
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:16 pm 48. Eric Deamer:I like Geraldo’s unbridled enthusiasm for the election. It’s good to see. He does seem to have a genuine camaraderie with our soldiers and with Iraqis whenever I see him on there.
CNN is taking this odd step of having the overnight election coverage based out of their London office. They seem to have more people on the ground at polling places than Fox. They’re doing a pretty good job so far, no egregious negative spin about the election that I’ve seen.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:18 pm 49. joe:Well Jessie thought school intergration at gun point was fine.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:23 pm 50. Athos:Will Europe follow?
Some nations will, and others will attempt to spin a more positive involvement than history will record – but expect France and Spain (at least) to remain sniping and critical of the Coalition and the new Iraqi government until the present French and Spanish governments are replaced.
I am also reluctant to believe the NY Times is making any significant move towards accepting this, or anything that may appear that the Bush Administration is doing it right. I may be cynical, but to me, it might be nothing more than a little triangulation to try to stop the drop in reputation and circulation. (Of course, when NYTimes.com starts trying to charge for its content like the WSJ – they will get a real unpleasant surprise. Who will pay for it??)
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:25 pm 51. Eric Deamer:Wow! Geraldo is so visibly/moved excited by this. I’ve never seen news reporting quite like this ever. It’s probably not adhering to what’s taught in J-Schools, but you’d have to be inhuman not to be moved by this. This is a televion moment I’ll remember for a long time.
He is right that it’s on the level of the fall of the Berlin Wall or the American South after the Civil Rights act and all that. This is an incredible moment. People are lining up outside the polls, uncovered, proud, giving the thums up sign, smiling. It’s amazing.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:28 pm 52. Terry Ott:To Roger’s comment about Jane Arraf being drowned out by the joyful crowd noise. She was saying, “can’t hear you now … losing my connection … bye.”
Sort of like Scott Peterson’s taped phone conversations with Amber Frey, whenever she asked him a tough question, like, “I thought you said your wife was with her mother.. and did you say you are in Paris?— doesn’t sound like Paris in the background.” Crackle, buzz, click click … “Gotta go now, love you.”
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:41 pm 53. chuck:Voting looked to be picking up in the polling stations kurdsat was covering about 9:00 am Iraq time.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:41 pm 54. Angus Jung:On MSNBC, some ditz, I mean “Democratic strategist,” is listing all the reasons the election isn’t worth it.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:42 pm 55. JenLArt:Roger, I love it that you’re doing this–thank you!
It’s a great day for Freedom-loving people everywhere, but especially in Iraq and the USA.
Couldn’t agree more about your “chickenhawk/warmonger” comment, but today we are vindicated and I am so happy and proud to be an American today because the actions of my country (especially its military) made this possible and we were a part of it.
Operation Iraqi Freedom worked–they’re living in freedom!
And may God continue to bless, protect and shine His light on all the brave, Liberty-loving voters in and citizens of Iraq today and everyday.
Oh, and Geraldo is doing a superb job of conveying the jubilance and importance of the day but Fox is threatening to bring on Susan Estrich in a minute….ARGH!
LOL–Dare we hope she’s washed her hair yet?
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:51 pm 56. Keith:I’m not watching CNN anymore tonight. I don’t want an item by item list of all the bad things that have happened in Iraq.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:54 pm 57. Karl:She washes it? Who knew?
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:54 pm 58. Karl:Now Estrich is giving us the “we only went into Iraq because of the WMDs.” Guess we can add her the Barbara Boxer list of people who don’t read Congressional resolutions authorizing war.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:57 pm 59. Eric Deamer:You think CNN’s bad, they’re not the ones who had Susan Estrich on. Why her? What the hell does she know exactly? It was every bit as bad as you would think. Yeesh. I’m going to bed.
Jan 29, 2005 - 10:59 pm 60. ambisinistral:I’ve been watching that Kurdstat feed. Definitely a different apporach to news coverage. Some pretty catchy Arabic type music playing in the background with nothing but visuals of the voting. Every now and again they turn the music down a bit to have a man or woman on the street interview.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:00 pm 61. Karl:…and Estrich would like to see democracy in Saudi Arabia. Would she back a U.S. military action to accomplish this, or would that be blood for ooooooooooooiiiiiiiilll?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:00 pm 62. Michael Ubaldi:Susan Estrich just spent five minutes dismissing the elections (yes-but, yes-but, yes-but). It was worse than the Dems’ response to the State of the Union last year. Feeble, petty, still stuck in 2002.
If you can believe it, the left just shrunk a little more.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:01 pm 63. ambisinistral:Yikes, as soon as I posted that they cut to footage of people dancing around with a band playing. Beats me what that’s about.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:01 pm 64. JenLArt:Ah, what we would we do with the Democrat shills and their talking points…?!
They should get together with Zaqarwi and his boys of the “insurgency;” they’d have lots to talk about!
(Just so you’ll know, their next talking point will be that the vote is “illegitimate.” Hide and watch!)
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:02 pm 65. JeffZ:Goodness, that “Democratic Strategist” on MSNBC. I’m truly speechless.
Her rambling, negative commentary is not only entirely despicable, but it’s weirdly discordant on a day of such hope (even in the NYT!). Can the DNC have really learned so little? First Ted Kennedy, now this. That sort of rhetoric suggests some Dems intend to be an opposition party and not much else for the near future.
And now Estrich! These are their talking points!?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:03 pm 66. Stephen_M:Was that Susan Estrich? Looked like Duckman’s wife. Anyway… talks like a duck.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:03 pm 67. chuck:Now Estrich is giving us the “we only went into Iraq because of the WMDs.”
Well, the Democrats have their story and they’re sticking to it. It’s not easy being green.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:04 pm 68. Terry Ott:Jesse and Susan “do Fox”. Wait a minute, those guys don’t really believe that “fair and balanced” stuff, do they?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:04 pm 69. CERDIP:Is anyone else reporting the “steady thumping of mortar rounds” that the CNN guy talks about, eveytime he gets the in front of the camera?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:05 pm 70. Stu:Wow, haven’t seen Susan Estrich since she was on FOX News on US election night when she was gloating and condescendingly pooh-poohing the guys there who were saying that the exit polls seemed fishy given what they were seeing from the results.
Why are they bringing her back *now*?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:07 pm 71. Eric Deamer:The more ridiculous part was when she started defending “her friend” Ted Kennedy, for his recent quasi-treasonous drivel. She also kept saying “What happens tomorrow?” WTF!? Tomorrow the people who are elected start drafting the constitution, and we move closer to the real election in December, by which point hopefully we’ll have a lot more Iraqi troops trained and we’ll be ready to send almost all of our people home, leave some of them there, and set up some “Status of Forces” agreement. Right? It’s not that hard to figure out. The fact of the matter is that this is a major step, and it means we’re winning, and Democratic Party hacks like her and Kennedy, and Boxer, can’t stand it. (While the smart ones like HRC will probably respond with Geraldo-like enthusiasm.)
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:07 pm 72. Angus Jung:The CNN dude is saying Kurdish voters are turning out because they “feel like they’ve been misrepresented by governments in Baghdad in the past.” Ya THINK?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:07 pm 73. Terry Ott:“The terrorists are can go to Hell. They’re NOT going to screw this up”. — Geraldo.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:09 pm 74. JenLArt:I like to think of Susan Estrich as Carol Channing without the looks or charm…!
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:09 pm 75. Chip:While Susan “I didn’t read the Duelfer Report” Estrich blathers on I see BBC has posted an apology for being wrong about its report that coalition forces were responsible for more civilian deaths than insurgents.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4219451.stm
I think thats a good omen.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:09 pm 76. Athos:Roger – Thank you.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:11 pm 77. Ramrod:Re: Geraldo:
I don’t care if he is a liberal. It’s great to see someone unabashedly supportive of the USA on the airwaves again. I give him credit for that.
Re: Susan Estrich.
At least she’s not drunk tonight. But bringing in DNC/Kennedy’s talking points doesn’t impress me at all.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:11 pm 78. Michael Ubaldi:The left can only push so hard before they move from sounding despicable to outright funny. If anyone remembers, before “didn’t have a plan” became the mantra, the press and the left made it politically awkward for the Bush adminstration to lay out detailed plans for occupation and reconstruction, accusing the White House of imperialism.
Mortars? That’s homicidal civil disobedience. That’s not an “insurgency.”
Zarqawi struck out.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:14 pm 79. ambisinistral:Watching Kurdstat is making me start to feel like Ted Kennedy. Things are going on in front of my eyes, but I don’t understand them.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:15 pm 80. richard mcenroe:Zogby has Saddam well ahead in the exit polling…
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:17 pm 81. Stu:Just a month ago, the mantra was “We need more troops!” Now it’s “We need to pull troops out!” I’m not a media expert or anything, but does a media acting in good faith really have to pretend as if these people are mounting a credible and consistent opposition to the current plan?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:18 pm 82. Terry Ott:Suicide bomber blown up at polling place. Brings new meaning to the concept of “absentee ballot”.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:19 pm 83. Anthony (Los Angeles):7:10 (Iraq time) – watching IRaqi interim pres Ghazi Al-Yawar voting inside the Green Zone. Who could blamed him?
In one way, I do. The man is President of Iraq, and he is asking his people to risk their lives by voting. He should have had the guts to vote at a Baghdad polling place “in the open,” rather than in the Green Zone. Think of the message that would have sent to the Iraqi people!
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:22 pm 84. Terry Ott:Stu sez: “Just a month ago, the mantra was ‘We need more troops!’ Now it’s ‘We need to pull troops out!’ — as if that were somehow illogical.
Of course, we need more troops in there so that when we decide to cut and run people really NOTICE and give credit for the magnitude of our surrender.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:24 pm 85. Katherine:“Mortars? That’s homicidal civil disobedience.”
I need to remeber that one
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:24 pm 86. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):911 caused a major change in Geraldo’s viewpoint. I chatted with one of his fellow Fox reporters who said that what you see is what he is – he’s not a phony, and is a genuine nice guy. On the other hand, this same reporter was going to do a story I gave him on Kerry fudging dates on his web site, but never did. Oh well.
Geraldo is a liberal at heart, but he also, as a result of 911, understands that we are at war and he is an unabashed cheering section – and a very good one at that.
The guy clearly likes people, and they like him, and it adds a human element that I very much like. Sometimes I call it “Geraldo’s Magnificent Adventure” and wish I could join him (hmmm… I’m a licensed broadcast engineer, but don’t know squat about cinematography… but I can shoot an AK-47 or M-16… hmmmmm – nope, the wife and daughter would strangle me first
I very much like Geraldo. And although he says some dumb things at time, I think it’s due to a hypomanic personality, rather than any idiocy. The guy is, after all, a lawyer who made it into the media as a radical legal spokesman. He’s no dummy. If I were to make any criticism, it is that his perspective on the Palestinian issue is too sympathetic to the Palis. But then, he just likes everyone.
He does exaggerate (his famous “I’m standing at the very spot where” gaffe in Afghanistan), but that just goes with the enthusiasm and excitement he brings.
BTW, Fox correspondent live at a Mosul voting place (a school) reported over 100 voters there so far.
This just in – a suicide bomber in a voting line in Baghdad killed some humans and himself. But the number of attacks is no more than the number of “shots fired” calls I hear at this time of night on police scanner here in Phoenix.
Go Geraldo!
Go Iraqi Voters!
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:26 pm 87. Angus Jung:Now they’re saying the suicide bomber may have had Down Syndrome. Here are your “Freedom Fighters,” Mikey, sending the mentally handicapped out to blow themselves up. Animals.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:30 pm 88. PJ:Go, Iraq!
CNN is trying their best to carve defeat from glorious victory. I too have a soft spot for Geraldo. You would have to have a pretty hard heart not to be excited but CNN is sure trying. Who is that hysteric in Baghdad??
I also love the people singing and drowning out Jane the Pain.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:33 pm 89. richard mcenroe:Susan Estrich! That voice! Has anyone ever seen her and Harvey Fierstein together?
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:38 pm 90. Trey Jackson:here’s the transcript of Geraldo on fox:
http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/iblog/C168863457/E1093199074/index.html
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:44 pm 91. Stu:MSNBC has a guy monitoring the Arab press: Al Jazeera saying that Buquba (sp?) streets are empty, and nobody showed up. (I believe Buquba was wear singing voters were drowning out a CNN reporter.) Al Aribya actually has video showing lots of people voting in Bacuba. Nice.
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:49 pm 92. Molokai_Man:I live in Mill Valley CA, ground zero for the liberal loony left. I can hear teeth knashing and grinding all around me.
I can only imagine what headline the San Francisco Chronicle will come up with to negatively spin this amazing historical event…
Jan 29, 2005 - 11:49 pm 93. Terry Ott:LOL is an overused term, but I swear I actually have been doing it as Jeff Koinange stands there repeating his lines about the violence and the sounds of mortars going off (though they had better some better microphones so we at least can hear that rumbling every now and then).
The mayor of Baghdad goes on and on and on and on about what a fantastic day it is, and how people are voting with a vengeance and defying anyone from standing in the way of their country’s future. And then CNN just cuts away from him without so much as a “thanks for your time” or a “see ya later, old chap”, in order to put the oh-so-somber Jeff K back on the screen with his gloom and doom litany.
Someday, somewhere, in a J-school, they’re gonna show tonight’s coverage by Fox and CNN side by side — it is the “Wow” people versus the “But…” people. All these CNN folks look as if they have bad migraine headaches as they scour the country looking for the disaster that MUST be there. I think that disaster is going to be found right after the WMD’s.
These guys just absolutely cannot get lift off for the story they wrote yesterday.
“Jeff … are you ready to go on again? Cue the mortar rumbling in the background.”
Jan 30, 2005 - 12:00 am 94. ordi:Shep on FNC just said there are THOUSANDS of people WALKING 13 miles TOO VOTE!!!!
All I can say is: We did right!
Jan 30, 2005 - 12:07 am 95. bkochba:Thank you for doing this (and for your blogging generally).
Jan 30, 2005 - 12:31 am 96. Terrye:I think CNN is a lost cause and what does AlJazeera know about covering elections? This is the Arab world, they have not had a lot of experience with this kind of things, car swarms are more up their alley.
It is 4am here in Indiana and I woke up early. I just heard some reports on Fox saying voting is picking up.
There was a story about the polling place Abu Ghraib not being open and people walking miles to vote at a nearby town. Shepard Smith said the crowd started in the hundreds and reports were it swelled to the thousands, walking more than 10 miles to vote. He said there might be pics from overhead. Could this be true?
So far there have been some suicide bombers but far short of the hundreds promised and it seems the casualties have been limited.
They also said that 2/3 oversea ballots were absentee. 1.2 million voted from outside the country.
I hope this goes well and turn out is decent. I don’t think I am prepared to take Al-Jazeera at their word on this.
Jan 30, 2005 - 1:10 am 97. Terry Ott:Terrye:
It’s been fascinating tonight, but it also after 4:30 where I’m at so I will go to bed and hand the Iraqi Election Watch baton to you. Give me a shout if anything exciting happens; I’m a light sleeper.
Terry
Jan 30, 2005 - 1:34 am 98. chuck:Terrye,
Kurdsat showed big crowds and I saw people dancing in the street. Basra has a big turnout. I think it is going to be pretty spectacular overall except in Ramadi, Fallujah, and a few other towns. Al Jezeera is showing one thing, Al Arabiya another, and the regional newspapers yet another. I think Al Jezeera’s credibility is going to start showing some cracks. Being a BBC spinoff has its drawbacks.
Jan 30, 2005 - 1:48 am 99. chuck:OT… Beautiful post by sean in the comments over at Harry’s place, replying to someone criticizing the ‘elite’ Bush twins for hanging out and partying while soldier fight. I paste it in here because it is slow at the moment and it is a good read:
what elite? who made them the elite? you? so they are rich, big deal. could be my kids next generation. could even be yours. in either case, the challenge still stands. show me your combat ribbons and i will listen to your whining about how you had to serve all alone with no rich guys to keep you company. exactly how complex does the world have to be for it to make sense for you, with no military time at all, to criticise the personal choices of people you decide to brand as “elite?”
i also see no list of standards. how many children, as a percentage, of an elite defined exactly how, that will satisfy you that the “poor” and “downtrodden” are not being shortchanged. does every single person who supports the Iraq invasion have to have a Gold Star flag before you will be happy? (soldier’s families can fly a blue star flag, Moms of KIAs get a gold star)
what gripes me more than anything else, even the faux-populist posturing, is the assumption on your part that soldiers of any stripe would welcome you trying to cast them as victims with you as their defender. listen to how bravely you defend the rights of the common soldier to die surrounded by the bodies of the “rich” and the “powerful.” i must say that it SOUNDS like a good story, but aren’t you picking on people who won’t fight back?
it’s easy to criticise the nameless, faceless other, to brand them with the epithet “elite.” it’s kind of like standing up bravely in the 21st century against the horrors of the Nazi Party, safe in the knowlege that Otto Skorzeny will never show up on your doorstep with a Luger. Dick Cheny won’t send his death troops to crush your head. Dubya won’t order your torture. Karl Rove won’t sign your death warrant. quit the brave act and actually look around. when time came to “speak the truth to power” instead of standing firm with civilization, instead of calling a dictator a dictator, you turn around and attack George Bush, Chimperor in Chief. from your vast experience in fighting injustice you looked around a saw the greatest threat to human liberty. and then you attacked the democratically elected head of the most powerful country in the world. and you knew you could say anything and do almost anything, and you would be perfectly safe. and then you have the unmitigated gall to call yourself brave.
so you are anti-war. if you can’t bring yourself to fight for a better tomorrow at least have the guts to get off your fat lazy butt and go to Iraq and stand between the terrorists and the voters. you’d never have to do another thing so long as you lived. just the simple act of facilitating better men than you getting to vote for what kind of government they want would make your whole wasted life worthwhile. but instead, you are content to snipe from the sidelines, safe from reprisals. the worst thing that will ever happen to you is you will occasionally get a stern talking to from people like me. which you will promptly ignore. maybe you will even wear it as a badge of courage.
you may sneer at us, veterans and serving soldiers alike. you may call us fools and lackeys. you will never understand us though we will always understand you. the urge to turn away, to pretend that it is someone else’s problem, is strong when you are faced with evil and terror and fear. we all feel it. i can’t help but pity you that you have given in to it. don’t dispair though. while you sleep the troubled sleep of fear, rough men stand ready in the night to do what you cannot. i was one of those men once. i can be again if i have to. you chose not to be. that is your choice. don’t criticise others for failing to be braver than you.
Jan 30, 2005 - 2:04 am 100. Terrye:Chuck:
I most definitely could not have said that better.
Speaking of the elite are their plans to cancel the Oscars this year?
Jan 30, 2005 - 2:22 am 101. Terrye:The Sunnis best get on this train or it will leave the station without them, in fact it might run them over.
I heard some Brit analyst [on Fox] saying that if the Sunnis don’t vote the election is not legitimate. This is nonsense. If the Sunnis don’t vote they will be represented anyway and the Iraqis who are brave enough to vote should not have their votes discounted just because some one else is afraid to be part of the process or is just plain pissed they won’t be running the show.
I just heard that so far they are looking at 57% turnout and the vote is picking up in Mosul. Some guys from Fallujah are complaining that their city is destroyed and they won’t vote.
I gotta ask, what did these guys think was going to happen? I hear the US is not only rebuilding the city we are paying money to individual residents who had their homes damaged. Would Saddam have done that for them if they openly defied him? If their fellow Iraqis had been forced to deal with the situation at some point down the road I am not so sure the terrorists would have gotten such a deal. They leave the bodies of dead women in the streets and threaten to decapitate anyone that does not say how high when they say jump and they are pissed the lights aren’t on. Unbelievable.
But a lot of people seem to be trying to vote. It could be they realize that the best way to get rid of armed soldiers in the streets as well as terrorists is to assume responsbility themselves.
Please God let this go well.
Jan 30, 2005 - 2:34 am 102. Jackson:“if you can’t bring yourself to fight for a better tomorrow at least have the guts to get off your fat lazy butt and go to Iraq and stand between the terrorists and the voters.”
This comment makes me think of the human shields so prevalent during the initial liberation. Where are they now? is it possible that they willing to shield Iraq from bombs that were going to free the citizens from decades of virtual enslavement, but are not willing to shield those same citizens against bombs designed to re-enslave them? What sort of arse about face world do these people live in?
Jan 30, 2005 - 3:09 am 103. legion:The Sydney Morning Herald was reporting that “Dozens Killed in Iraq Voting Day Attacks”, at a time when all other sources were reporting between twelve and seventeen dead. Now the total is up to at least twenty. But at the time the headline was first posted, probably less than fifteen had been documented killed.
In other words, the SMH was rooting for a high death toll, gambling on it. Despicable.
Too many leftists seem thrilled every time terrorists kill someone in Iraq. Leftists inflate casualty figures–reuters today claimed 14,000 american troops had died in Iraq. Leftists fear a democratic success in Iraq so they root for the terrorist.
When I was younger I was a leftist, but it strikes me how pathetic leftists are becoming.
Jan 30, 2005 - 3:12 am 104. ambisinistral:6:30 in the morning East coast time. looks like a sizable turnout — somewhere around 60% they’re guessing. The good guys won.
Jan 30, 2005 - 3:34 am 105. ambisinistral:I should add… only eight slopeydopes leading to about 25 people killed. A tragedy for those in the worng place at the wrong time, but hardly the blood bath promised by the terrorists.
The shots of dancing in the streets are a joy to watch.
Jan 30, 2005 - 3:41 am 106. dougf:I am very happy with the results.I am NOT happy with CNN(oh,geez,what else is new).I live in Canada,and we have only recently been allowed by our fearless leaders to receive FOXNEWS here.And after waiting forever for it,my satellite provider is not carrying it.But,matters not.I am in the process of changing providers after a month of increasingly hostile messages to my current clowns.
The bottom line is that I am forced to watch CNN,and BBC World.It is a choice between cancer and leoprosy,with a seeming competition to see who can present the most pessimistic spin on a GREAT day for Iraq(and us).
Jan 30, 2005 - 4:01 am 107. Peter G.:What I’ve seen this morning EST is that CNN is doing what it can to depict the election as a failure but they haven’t got much to work with. Elsewhere the talking heads seem pleasantly surprised by the relatively low level of violence (the last I saw was 31 killed in election-related violence). The turnout totals keep going up. On MSNBC they reported 7,000 turned out to vote in Fallujah, which is 7,000 more than Al-Jazeera reported for the same city.
It was good to see Jarvis plugging the Iraqi blogs on MSNBC just now.
Two hours to go.
Jan 30, 2005 - 4:06 am 108. Dick:After a restless sleep I awoke to the splendid news of an exceptional voter turnout in Iraq. The first two hours after the polls opened last night caused my disjointed rest. I am trying to remember the faces of the Iraqis dancing in the streets. As a Vietnam Era Military veteran I am plagued with the murderous revenge taken upon our supporters when we withdrew from Saigon. I pray to God that I do not see these faces now joyful, bloodied by the terrorists, if we withdraw from Iraq on a Ted Kennedy schedule. We have paid a high price in American lives to not hold fast now. If ever there was a traitor to the cause, it is Senator Kennedy and his constituents in Massachusetts.
Jan 30, 2005 - 4:22 am 109. Cousin Don:Tongue in cheek blogging of last night’s election coverage:
http://frog-man.blogspot.com/
Jan 30, 2005 - 4:27 am 110. windowlicker:Just heard a newsflash on BBC. Reuters is reporting 72% turnout!
Jan 30, 2005 - 4:46 am 111. Angus Jung:The CNN question of the day is whether the election is worth it: wam@cnn.com
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:01 am 112. JasonP:Now is a time to put our doubts aside and respect the brave people in Iraq who are voting for the first time under such conditions. The people waving campaign banners from cars, reading newspapers and campaign literature, and looking hopeful for the first time ? how can you not be moved? (Even CNN is showing this!) This isn?t the end of the story but it is their day, let?s rest for a moment and respect this achievement.
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:01 am 113. HA:The MSM is obviously terribly disappointed that there wasn’t enough violance. Maybe they should have hired the NBC Dateline crew to rig some explosions?
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:05 am 114. bertignac:Amanpour makes my stomach turn too! It’s like she thinks the news is always all about her and her trite little thinking! Maybe we need to begin forgetting about the Democratic Party! How will Kennedy spin this against Bush?
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:06 am 115. Lola:Woke up a while ago and I’m glad to see how it is going. But then I’m not surprised. Best of luck to the Iraqis! And yeah, I agree with Roger about the coverage – CNN seems to have more people on the ground than does Fox.
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:17 am 116. foreign devil:Thanks, Roger. I thought Geraldo was great this morning too. 72% turnout–polls now closed. Not too much havoc. We’ve won! Now it just remains to tally the votes but WE won with a 72% turnout!
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:17 am 117. Peter G.:The brothers at Iraq the Model write about their election day experience:
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:52 am 118. Lola:Say . . . anyone remember what was the turnout for the American election? That will be something to beat up the Donks with . . . and meanwhile, anyone know how to change political party registration?
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:53 am 119. notthisgirl:Turning on the TV at 7:30 this morning (Eastern), Fox was talking about the 72% turnout (and possibly up to 90% in Shia’ areas) and the absence of major violence. They also had reports of 800+ people on line in Falluja(sp).
Then, I turn on MSNBC. What do I hear? Low turn out, some cities are deserted, ONE SERVICE MAN DEAD!!!. What do I see? Long faces. That’s a good sign.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:01 am 120. notthisgirl:Campbell Brown is going to need her anti-depression medication today I’m afraid.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:02 am 121. Terrye:Well the talking heads will no doubt say yeah so there was an election but security is stll bad, but there is sectarian strife, but the borders are open, but there is too much unemployment, but the Sunnis did not participate….
But the Iraqi people under threat of death walked in broad daylight to the polls and voted for the first time in their lives. They say we are people and deserve to be heard.
31 dead is 31 too many but it is a far cry from the hundreds of suicide bombers Zarqawi promised. What must he be thinking now?
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:07 am 122. maria horvath:Is this the “problem” that Ted Kennedy was whining about?
(from the great and delightful Scrappleface:)
____
January 30, 2005
Iraqi Voting Disrupts News Reports of Bombings
by Scott Ott
(2005-01-30) — News reports of terrorist bombings in Iraq were marred Sunday by shocking graphic images of Iraqi “insurgents” voting by the millions in their first free democratic election.
Despite reporters’ hopes that a well-orchestrated barrage of mortar attacks and suicide bombings would put down the so-called ‘freedom insurgency’, hastily-formed battalions of rebels swarmed polling places to cast their ballots — shattering the status quo and striking fear into the hearts of the leaders of the existing terror regime.
Hopes for a return to the stability of tyranny waned as rank upon rank of Iraqi men and women filed out of precinct stations, each armed with the distinctive mark of the new freedom guerrillas — an ink-stained index finger, which one former Ba’athist called “the evidence of their betrayal of 50 years of Iraqi tradition.”
Journalists struggled to put a positive spin on the day’s events, but the video images of tyranny’s traitors choosing a future of freedom overwhelmed the official story of bloodshed and mayhem.
______
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:13 am 123. windowlicker:Anyone who wants to know what the first written representation of the word freedom looks like can see it here. It was found in the ancient city of Lagash, Iraq.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:19 am 124. PeterUK:I posted this on a previous thread but it seems more appropriate here.
“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.”
The Rubaiyat – Omar Khayyam – 11th Century
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:19 am 125. PeterArgus:Just saw CNN’s close of poll coverage. I must say Christine Amanopour was practically effusive with praise. She noted the bombings that had occured but put it in more of the context of the bravery of Iraqs who had voted despite this. I can’t remember the exact words but she said that the Iraqi people had triumphed over the terrorists at least on this one day. She even praised the US military for helping provide this opportunity. Amanopour referred to people voting despite the “vicious” threats by terrorists. The infobabe at CNN also had positive comments.
The story on CNN was definitely upbeat on the elections.
This is a remarkable change of tone from what Roger and others have reported about their coverage earlier.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:27 am 126. Angus Jung:Don’t get too excited, Peter. Right now it’s “Iraq’s Shadow.”
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:37 am 127. Pat Curley:NY Times earlier had a headline on their site saying the elections were a success, but it looks like Sulzberger had a cow, because now the headline stresses the “rebel” attacks.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:44 am 128. Oyster:Long may they run.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:44 am 129. RogerA:Peter Argus: Infobabe-I had not heard that term before–very descriptive! Of course the MSM will be backtracking: they are clearly on the wrong side of history and events and have to scramble to save small percentage of viewership. This election is a great victory for the Iraqi people and for those visionary neocons in the administration who were so beknighted to think democracy might actually work in the middle east; contrast this with the pathetic, whining American left–no moral compass, no compassion, so sense of greatness, visably disappointed that 30 million Iraqis are on the road to democracy because that vitiates their ability to bash the President, the neocons, and this administration.
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:54 am 130. bluehoo:“8:07 – Some asshole on CNN has just announced that this is the “nightmare scenario” because some polling place in Baquba isn’t open yet. This character… don’t know his name… seemed almost smug that something was going wrong.”
I saw that too and couldn’t believe what I heard. He’s Charles Hodson.
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/hodson.charles.html
Jan 30, 2005 - 6:58 am 131. Peter G.:Last Sunday on Tina Brown’s show I saw John Burns of the NYT predict an overall turnout of 35 to 40% for the Iraq elections. Now I respect John Burns and consider him one of the best reporters out there, but clearly those reporters who remain within the Green Zone aren’t getting the story right. If they can’t leave the zone for security reasons so be it, but that means we have to get our news from other sources.
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:00 am 132. PeterUK:Charles Hodson is obviously comparing this to the opening of the Stock Exchange.
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:03 am 133. jedrury:Talk about Clueless:
Condi on ABC Sunday with petit George this AM. George asks “why has the turnout been down in Mosul.” Condi answers in her always kind professional way.
Afterwords I see the Times headline online
which proclaims the Iraqis turned out “in record numbers.”
But, hold on, my irony fix hit me again when Evan Bayh came on for his first big wig Sunday interview as he prepares for 2008.
Squinty eyes, sitting straight up and stiff with the imaginary poker up his butt, perhaps, a more boring delivery and presence than the War Hero.
Comparing cadavers is a tough call.
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:20 am 134. Caroline:Come on CNN. Give us a shot of Rym Brahini crying in her soup…
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:23 am 135. Barry Dauphin:Via Drudge: Kerry says “we should not overhype the elections…”
In talking about the Iraqi elections, I guess he wants us to use the same doofuses who ran his campaign. Is it any wonder why the guy lost.
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:31 am 136. Rick Ballard:Michael Totten is asking for responses to four questions over at Friends of Democracy .
1. Was the Iraqi election successful?
2. Who are the terrorists and insurgents? What do you think they hope to accomplish through violence?
3. Do you think the American people have a good understanding of what is happening in Iraq? If yes, why? If not, why not?
4. People in America see that there is a great deal of violence in Iraq. Is there hope?
Comments are open for responses.
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:38 am 137. Rick Ballard:Fiends of Democracy
Sorry for the bad link.
Jan 30, 2005 - 7:40 am 138. PeterUK:Angus,I think the very fact that the Iraqis have voted is reason enough to quote one of the regions greatest poets.The outcome will be what the outcome will be.
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:03 am 139. PeterArgus:RogerA:
“Infobabe”: Hat tip to Rush.
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:06 am 140. Steve J.:ROGER SIMON:”9:55 – Susan Estrich is a tone deaf reactionary. WHat kind of bullshit is she talking right now about we didn’t go to Iraq to bring democracy. “
Maybe this:
?But make no mistake ? as I said earlier ? we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about.? -Ari Fleischer Press Briefing 4/10/03
Paul Wolfowitz?s interview w/ Vanity Fair: Link
?The truth is that for reasons that have a lot to do with the U.S. government bureaucracy we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on which was weapons of mass destruction as the core reason. There have always been three fundamental concerns. One is weapons of mass destruction, the second is support for terrorism, the third is the criminal treatment of the Iraqi people. Actually I guess you could say there?s a fourth overriding one which is the connection between the first two. The third one by itself, as I think I said earlier, is a reason to help the Iraqis but it?s not a reason to put American kids? lives at risk, certainly not on the scale we did it. That second issue about links to terrorism is the one about which there?s the most disagreement within the bureaucracy.?
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:14 am 141. erp:Quote from a post above: “I heard some Brit analyst [on Fox] saying that if the Sunnis don’t vote the election is not legitimate.”
Sorry, it’s not the election that’s illegitimate, it’s the Sunni’s sense of themselves that’s illegitimate. They’re only minority religious sect in Iraq and they can choose to participate or marginalize themselves. That’s how it goes in a democracy.
If Sunnis disdain from joining their countrymen in running their country, then they can stay walled up in their villages, continue practicing genital mutilation on their daughters and/or murdering them because of their own maniacal sexual fantasies. They can continue wrapping their children in explosives and sending them out to murder innocents.
Sunnis have been praying to a false God. Their mullahs, imams, etc have tricked them into believing that terrorism, violence and murder is in Allah’s name. Make no mistake. Terrorism isn’t a religious issue, it’s a struggle to keep power and wealth for themselves. Free and independent people cannot be easily manipulated as Black leaders in the U.S. are starting to learn and Latino/Hispanic leaders have already learned.
Almost all those voting in Iraq yesterday, pray to Allah who has obviously blessed the election. Iraq is well on its way to joining the world community as a free nation governed by law where liberty is guaranteed to all. Even to those foolish Sunnis who refuse to join them.
Maybe they’ll wake up. Allah Akbar!
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:24 am 142. Caroline:SteveJ – it astounds me that the Dems, who take such pride in their superior intelligence – are the ones who seem to have the greatest trouble in understanding the concept of multiple, converging reasons for going to war. I’m beginning to think that they must be the simple-minded masses for whom the adminstration crafted their public message. Just incapable of reading between the lines – hilarious. Of course the operation was named Operation Iraqi Freedom – not Desert Storm, not Infinite Justice, not Operation WMD. And re the WMD – read the Duelfer report. Of course maybe you’d actually have been happy to see a nuclear Iraq – once the sanctions were lifted -along with NK and Iran.
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:26 am 143. Keith:On Fox now they’re talking about the surrounding countries and wondering about Democracy there. I’m interested myself to know what these rulers are going to say and how they’re going to explain that their country is different and isn’t ready for a Democratic government.
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:39 am 144. Knucklehead:Lola,
You’ve probably gotten your answer already, but…
Turnout in the last election was 60.7%, highest since 1968 (ref.
Jan 30, 2005 - 8:59 am 145. Knucklehead:Caroline,
SteveJ is clearly getting paid piecework. He relentlessly posts the same thing over and over and over again. If he’s getting a dime a shot from Soros he’s determined to make his fortune here and now while the opportunity is available.
Jan 30, 2005 - 9:08 am 146. richard mcenroe:Jedrury ó re: George Stephanapolous, AKA “The Fifth Monkee” ó Turnout down?
Compared to what?
Jan 30, 2005 - 9:18 am 147. Rick Ballard:Richard,
Philadelphia, East St. Louis, King County, WA, Detroit, DC, Milwaukee. Georgie believes that if you can’t turn out 110% of every precinct then its a failure of Democrat principles.
Jan 30, 2005 - 9:28 am 148. Charlie (Colorado):Jedrury ó re: George Stephanapolous, AKA “The Fifth Monkee” ó Turnout down?
Compared to what?
The 100 percent and unanimous vote Saddam got.
Jan 30, 2005 - 10:20 am 149. BeckyJ:Lola – just go to the Post Office and fill out a new voter reg. form.
Woke up this morning to the good news (wimp that I am, I couldn’t hack it last night; my excuse is that I’m on the east coast). Now Fox and others are calling the turnout at 60+%. This is close to the US turnout and that was an historical high. I do wonder what the chattering types will have to say about this. They can’t exactly call this a failure without pointing out the US turnout (well, ok, they can and probably will, but it will just make them look even more stupid).
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq. All successfully voting and shaping their futures themselves amidst violence and the threats of violence. The list grows.
Jan 30, 2005 - 10:57 am 150. Trey Jackson:Geraldo Rivera reports on a civilian casualty:
‘This Makes Any Civilized Person Absolutely Sick’
VIDEO: http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/iblog/C168863457/E104984450/index.html
Jan 30, 2005 - 11:27 am 151. Steve J.:Posted by: Caroline: “read the Duelfer report”
OK -
DUELFER REPORT SUMMARY
Saddam wanted to recreate Iraq?s WMD capability?which was essentially destroyed in 1991?after sanctions were removed and Iraq?s economy stabilized, but probably with a different mix of capabilities to that which previously existed.
Iran was the pre-eminent motivator of this policy. All senior level Iraqi offi cials considered Iran to be Iraq?s principal enemy in the region. The wish to balance Israel and acquire status and infl uence in the Arab world were also considerations, but secondary.
ISG uncovered Iraqi plans or designs for three long-range ballistic missiles with ranges from 400 to 1,000 km and for a 1,000-km-range cruise missile, although none of these systems progressed to production and only one reportedly passed the design phase.
Iraq Survey Group (ISG) discovered further evidence of the maturity and significance of the pre-1991 Iraqi Nuclear Program but found that Iraq?s ability to reconstitute a nuclear weapons program progressively decayed after that date.
While a small number of old, abandoned chemical munitions have been discovered, ISG judges that iraq unilaterally destroyed its undeclared chemical weapons stockpile in 1991.
In practical terms, with the destruction of the Al Hakam facility, Iraq abandoned its ambition to obtain advanced BW weapons quickly. ISG found no direct evidence that Iraq, after 1996, had plans for a new BW program or was conducting BW-specific work for military purposes. Indeed, from the mid-1990s, despite evidence of continuing interest in nuclear and chemical weapons, there appears to be a complete absence of discussion or even interest in BW at the Presidential level.
Jan 30, 2005 - 11:31 am 152. Steve J.:Posted by: Knucklehead: “Caroline,SteveJ is clearly getting paid piecework. He relentlessly posts the same thing over and over and over again. If he’s getting a dime a shot from Soros he’s determined to make his fortune here and now while the opportunity is available.”
I wouldn’t mind being paid a little because it does take a lot of time to correct the many lies and distortions from the radical right.
Jan 30, 2005 - 11:35 am 153. charlotte:Steve J. calls it the radical right.
Chalk up another one for the GOP. They’ve even taken “radical” from the Left and left them with “reactionary”, in return.
Jan 30, 2005 - 12:10 pm 154. Stewart Johnson:Your comments on Geraldo are spot on. The man has a heart and has guts. Not many people realize this, but all the advances made over the last 30 years in support of people with disabilities have been a direct result of Geraldo Rivera’s expose of Willowbrook. I have a disabled son and if not for the courage Geraldo showed in bringing that hellhole to light, my son’s life would have been very different. He changed the way society thinks about people with disabilities, and he did it single handedly. For that one act alone he deserves all our respect.
Jan 30, 2005 - 5:29 pm