Voting For Change...In Iraq

POSTED BY: Geezer
UPDATED: Saturday, January 31, 2009 17:52
VIEWED: 1096
PAGE 1 of 1

GEEZER

Saturday, January 31, 2009 1:14 PM

Elections for Provincial Councils are being held in Iraq today. Per BBC, turnout seems to be good, and the Sunnis aren't boycotting this time. Things seem to be going smoothly so far.

Several different news sources (BBC, Washington Post, NPR) are expecting voters to move away from religious factions to nationalist or secular ones.

Good luck, Iraqis.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

WHOZIT

Saturday, January 31, 2009 1:16 PM

I thought the war in Iraq was going to end in disaster?

KIRKULES

Saturday, January 31, 2009 1:41 PM

Didn't the Democrats tell us that Bush was an idiot for thinking a functioning democracy was possible in the Middle East. For people who "don't want democracy" they sure do seem eager to participate in it.

WHOZIT

Saturday, January 31, 2009 1:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kirkules:
Didn't the Democrats tell us that Bush was an idiot for thinking a functioning democracy was possible in the Middle East. For people who "don't want democracy" they sure do seem eager to participate in it.

Yes, and one of those Democrats was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He said, "the War is lost"

PIZMOBEACH

Saturday, January 31, 2009 2:49 PM

Well, it's comforting to see we got something for $1,600 Billion US, 1,300,000 Iraq lives, 5,000 US troops dead and 31,000 wounded. They get to play Democracy for a while - sweet.

KIRKULES

Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Well, it's comforting to see we got something for..., 1,300,000 Iraq lives,.... They get to play Democracy for a while - sweet.

It certainly does sound dramatic if you use statistics the include death from all causes, including old age and traffic accidents. By your logic the USA has lost about 14,000,000 plus due to the Iraq war.

CHRISISALL

Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kirkules:
Didn't the Democrats tell us that Bush was an idiot for thinking a functioning democracy was possible in the Middle East. For people who "don't want democracy" they sure do seem eager to participate in it.

My predictions almost always come true, unfortunately. Watch it all fall apart in 2012, if not before. There will be assassinations,then civil war.

The not-laughing Chrisisall

DREAMTROVE

Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:17 PM

three candidates were killed, but it's looking increasingly stable

CHRISISALL

Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by dreamtrove:
three candidates were killed, but it's looking increasingly stable

Yeah, for now. Just wait until our presence is lower, and the nefariousness will begin. Democracy cannot work in a country with such opposing forces & a level of religiousity we can only imagine.

The predicting Chrisisall

CHRISISALL

Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
They get to play Democracy for a while - sweet.

Will the next Saddam please stand up!

The

Chrisisall

GEEZER

Saturday, January 31, 2009 5:33 PM

Al Jazeera reports the polls have closed after a one hour extension to allow everyone who wanted to a chance to vote. Heavy turnout, few incidents and mostly peaceful.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091314926521390
.html

"Keep the Shiny side up"

GEEZER

Saturday, January 31, 2009 5:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Will the next Saddam please stand up!

You just couldn't stand for anything good to happen in Iraq, could you? If they succeed, you'd be wrong, and that's not to be borne.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

WHOZIT

Saturday, January 31, 2009 5:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Quote:
Originally posted by Kirkules:
Didn't the Democrats tell us that Bush was an idiot for thinking a functioning democracy was possible in the Middle East. For people who "don't want democracy" they sure do seem eager to participate in it.
My predictions almost always come true, unfortunately. Watch it all fall apart in 2012, if not before. There will be assassinations,then civil war.

The not-laughing Chrisisall

So you think it'll end it disaster during the Barry years? Hmmmmm

PIZMOBEACH

Saturday, January 31, 2009 5:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kirkules:
Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Well, it's comforting to see we got something for..., 1,300,000 Iraq lives,.... They get to play Democracy for a while - sweet.

It certainly does sound dramatic if you use statistics the include death from all causes, including old age and traffic accidents. By your logic the USA has lost about 14,000,000 plus due to the Iraq war.

Here's another perspective:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/iraq

What is the real death toll in Iraq?
The Americans learned one lesson from Vietnam: don't count the civilian dead. As a result, no one knows how many Iraqis have been killed in the five years since the invasion. Estimates put the toll at between 100,000 and one million, and now a bitter war of numbers is raging.

That was about a year ago.

Let's go with the low one - 100,000 dead and add 20,000 for the extra year (5 years, 100,000 that's 20k a year)., so 120,000.