US sees 'great day' for Iraq but predicts more violence (no US withdrawal)

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1504&ncid=1504&e=2&u=/afp/20050130/ts_afp/iraqvoteus_050130162551

<snip>


President George W. Bush (news - web sites) was "incredibly encouraged" by the turnout, Secretary of State Condoleeeza Rice told Fox News after speaking with him. "He just said that this was a great day for the Iraqi people."


But despite the upbeat reaction to the vote for a national assembly, Rice refused to provide a timetable for the eventual withdrawal of the 150,000 US troops in Iraq facing a stubborn insurgency.


The Bush administration had a lot riding politically and diplomatically on the elections, which went ahead despite a campaign of violence by the insurgents battling on nearly two years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


US officials were clearly exultant by initial reports of the turnout.

[lebkuchen]

1. What's the story on the UK C-130?

How many casualties are we talking?

72% turnout beats the hell out of any US voter turnout. The Iraqis will be fine. Let's get our troops out before any more of them die.

[Spazito]

2. Surprise, surprise, surprise...

(said in my best Gomer Pyle voice).

[Democrats_win]

3. Dubious day in history- Hitler appointed chancellor, Ghandi killed

1968 Tet Offensive begins in Vietnam. 1979 Iran announces Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini will return after living in exile.

http://www.boston.com/news/history/articles/2005/01/29/today_in_history___jan_30/

[classof56]

4. Oh, Darn!

I thought Bush would declare "Mission Accomplished" and bring our troops home. Figured all those military bases he's building in Iraq were just so contractors could get some experience. Ah, well--it's a great day for the Iraqi people. Bushie said so. How nice for them.

Tired Old Cynic speaking sarcastically.

[TahitiNut]

5. Amazing. In statements prepared yesterday, they pontificate ...

... about being "encouraged" (what do craven COWARDS know about courage?) and having a "great day"?? Are those the same crystal balls they used on Saddam? on 9/11? On employment?

Hell, they're not even trying to cover up the fraud anymore. We can count on Faux News to gobble up their reichtard feces.

[Maeve]

7. Unless it was a total debacle, it was to be declared a total success

The script was written, nothing short of unmittigated disaster would have derailed that train of thought.

[TahitiNut]

8. It's clear they've prepared a script for the Mighty Wurlitzer.

Vague sources and flag-waving proclamations of success.

(Ignore those dead bodies piling up behind the curtain.)

[Neecy]

6. This will be their downfall

By over-trumpeting today as a 'triumph', the American people will assume that our (latest) goal of democracy is accomplished. The tide will turn to bring our troops home, and Bush* is going to have to come up with yet ANOTHER reason for our troops to be dying there, and for the taxpayers to continue to fund this obscenity at a shocking rate.

People won't buy it. The reasons for being there have shifted too often, and I predict a very vocal movement to withdraw.

So, let them have their puffed-up 'victory' today. It only makes it impossible for them to continue the occupation, and they're too stupid to realize it.

[cliss]

9. Love it.

They always overshoot, don't they? Say one thing, and something else happens.

This reminds me so much of the day Enron collapsed. When the last of that evil organization was swirling in the toilet, Bush proudly came out and said that he did "nothing" to help them. He wanted to show everyone that there was no crony backscratching deals made between them. He did the "laissez faire" of Capitalism.....hands off.

Well, within hours, the former employees of Enron were screaming. Here, they had just been dumped, lost their entire retirement, and Bush is bragging that he didn't help them! It backfired on him. As so many of his little short-sighted gaffes do.

Try to pull some strings here, and something weird happens over there. Damn! Why don't those unruly Americans behave better? Or for that matter, the Iraqis.

How about the rest of the world? Why don't they behave.

[struggle4progress]

10. Hollow Election Held on Bloody Day

<snip> With draconian security measures in place, even some ambulances rushing to victims of bomb attacks were turned back at security checkpoints. <snip>

”Baghdad looks like it's having a war, not elections,” said Layla Abdul Rahman, a high school English teacher. ”Our streets are filled with tanks and soldiers and our bridges are closed. All we are hearing is bombings all around us, and for the last two nights there have been many clashes that last a long time. We shouldn't have had elections now because it's just not practical with this horrible security.” <snip>

”Nobody will vote in Samarra because of the security situation,” Taha Husain, head of Samarra's local governing council told reporters. <snip>

”They are wrong on principle, the High Commission for Elections was appointed by Bremer (former U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer), so how can we have a legitimate election under these circumstances,” said Sabah Rahwani in the Karrada district of Baghdad. ”This election only serves the interest of the occupier, not Iraqis. This is only propaganda for Bush.” <snip>

http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=27248

[struggle4progress]

11. Iraq election may worsen ethnic, sectarian tension

ALISTAIR LYON

AMMAN - Reuters

U.S. President George W. Bush has hailed Iraq's first postwar election as a "grand moment in Iraqi history" but it runs the risk of deepening communal divisions and pushing the country towards civil strife. <snip>

"It has the potential to make things worse, precisely because it will accentuate communal differences," said Robert Springborg, director of the Middle East Institute at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

The election is taking place in a security vacuum, with Iraqi state forces unable to check crime and lawlessness even in areas relatively untouched by anti-U.S. violence, said Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert at Queen Mary, University of London. <snip>

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?webcat=foreign&enewsid=4627