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[SickBoy]

I think this election is a good sign for Iraq, but important step #1 still needs to be completed, and that's to fix Iraq's still-broken infrastructure.

Still, I was pleased with what I read today. Yesterday, I got to read about lots of bombings and mortar fire from stories breaking not long after polls opened. Glad to see the violence was relatively minor compared to what some may have expected.

 

[bob_arctor]

Just a quick poll, how many of you guys have seen the one-legged Iraqi voter mentioned in print media today? You know, the guy who exclaimed: "I would have crawled here if I had to"? He's become like the election mascot or something--Post, Times, and Daily News all talk about him. I wonder how many times he will be referenced as resounding evidence of the legitimacy of this election.

It's funny waking up this morning and having to prepare myself for the deluge of "U.S. love" we'll be seeing/reading/hearing as a result of this smashing success. I mean, barring anything short of a nuke, was the reaction of the U.S. media coverage ever really in doubt?

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

It's funny waking up this morning and having to prepare myself for the deluge of "U.S. love" we'll be seeing/reading/hearing as a result of this smashing success. I mean, barring anything short of a nuke, was the reaction of the U.S. media coverage ever really in doubt?

Nope, if the insugents were able to flatten one or two polling places the whole thing would have been seen as a failure.

 

[bob_arctor]

Nope, if the insugents were able to flatten one or two polling places the whole thing would have been seen as a failure.

How are these things judged then? Weren't dozens of people killed yesterday (44 is the rough estimate, 100 wounded)? Was it an acceptable level of death and chaos in relation to "what could have been"? I guess it's like that famous one-legged Iraqi that keeps getting quoted: "Hey, coulda been worse! My arms could have gotten blown off. How would I have voted then?".

Anyway, aren't you there? How much of a military lock-down are was it? And why are we all patting ourselves in the back for the sole fact that there was no "outright catastrophe"? Everything's relative I guess. We're bordering on 2 years of outright catastrophe, imo. I mean, wasn't troop strength at its highest since the fall of Baghdad yesterday? Wasn't all civilian traffic banned?

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

I'm not getting at anyone in this thread, just in general I'm getting a little bit fed up with the Iraq cynicism that seems to be developing. It's almost like there are people who want things in Iraq to be chaos, just so they can stick it to Bush and the US military. Judging by the tone of some things I've heard about this election, you'd think people were dissapointed that there wasn't a bigger insurgence during polling.

 

[bob_arctor]

I'm not getting at anyone in this thread, just in general I'm getting a little bit fed up with the Iraq cynicism that seems to be developing. It's almost like there are people who want things in Iraq to be chaos, just so they can stick it to Bush and the US military. Judging by the tone of some things I've heard about this election, you'd think people were dissapointed that there wasn't a bigger insurgence during polling.

How can people want things in Iraq to be chaos when it already is in chaos, for the last 2 years or so? Anyway, we should all know by now that absolutely nothing sticks to Bush and his administration. By the same token, I am already sick of the dick-stroking coming out of the media outlets and Bush's mouth, and this is just 1 day after. Cynicism is the minority, GAF notwishstanding. Otherwise, why is this clown still in office? The "there was no outright catastrophe" mindset is laughable, btw. Oh, really? You mean we can increase troop numbers to the highest since the fall of Baghdad, ban all civilian traffic, declare vast portions of major cities "No Parking" zones, all with the best military might in the world and hold the insurgents to only 44 killed? Well, break out the champagne! We can make Iraq kinda, sorta, safe for a day! Why can't we do this every day?

 

[AssMan]

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy with the Iraqis, but now everyone thinks Bush is a god now, because he created somewhat of a democracy in Iraq. The real problem is here, in the U.S. We need to create jobs, give familys medicare, and fix the problem with SS.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

Anyway, aren't you there? How much of a military lock-down are was it?

I am. Define lock-down. People were in place but as you well know it was important that an Iraqi presence was seen from a security standpoint.

And why are we all patting ourselves in the back for the sole fact that there was no "outright catastrophe"? Everything's relative I guess.

You anwsered your own question, everything is relative. We were not going to have a "perfect" election here that quite simply wasn't possible the security situation here still has a lot to be desired. Yesterday was a first step.

We're bordering on 2 years of outright catastrophe, imo. I mean, wasn't troop strength at its highest since the fall of Baghdad yesterday? Wasn't all civilian traffic banned?

All night time traffic was banned. You didn't expect people to walk to the polls did you?