Iraqis Defy Zawkawi and Kennedy to Vote in High Numbers
Not even the BBC, the New York Times, or the Washington Post can deny it–the Iraqi election appears to have been a big success:
BAGHDAD, Jan. 30 — Iraqis voted in their first democratic election in nearly half a century Sunday with many observers saying the day appeared to have yielded higher turnout than expected and less violence than feared.
Insurgents killed about two dozen people, including a U.S. Marine. But the level of mayhem by forces striving to disrupt the process was less than predicted, especially in Baghdad where turnout surged during the day amid signs of enthusiasm for voting even in some Sunni areas.
The BBC appeared especially pained to admit it (remember kids, democracy is morally neutral at best, except in “white” countries, k?). Of course, this won’t end the insurgency, but it will be a psychologicial body blow to their cause. Guerrilla wars require the slow and patient application of good intelligence, the rule of law, political persuasion, and improved economic conditions. This will help us in all of those ways, though perhaps not quite as dramatically as in Afghanistan. There will be more tough days ahead, but it’s a hopeful day. The conspiracy theories have been proven wrong. We mean to give Iraqis rule over their own country, and now they know it.
Meanwhile, allow me to be first to question the patriotism of Senator Ted Kennedy, given the timing of these words:
Forty years ago, America was in another war in a distant land. At that time, in 1965, we had in Vietnam the same number of troops and the same number of casualties as in Iraq today. We thought in those early days in Vietnam that we were winning. We thought the skill and courage of our troops was enough. We thought that victory on the battlefield would lead to victory in the war, and peace and democracy for the people of Vietnam. We lost our national purpose in Vietnam. We abandoned the truth. We failed our ideals. The words of our leaders could no longer be trusted. In the name of a misguided cause, we continued the war too long. We failed to comprehend the events around us. We did not understand that our very presence was creating new enemies and defeating the very goals we set out to achieve. We cannot allow that history to repeat itself in Iraq. We must learn from our mistakes. We must recognize what a large and growing number of Iraqis now believe. The war in Iraq has become a war against the American occupation. We have reached the point that a prolonged American military presence in Iraq is no longer productive for either Iraq or the United States. The U.S. military presence has become part of the problem, not part of the solution.
The Iowa Hawk thinks he’s heard some of this before:
Like all Americans, I had high hopes for the future of the Oldsmobile and its passengers, as we struggle against the onrushing water and its poorly-designed shoulder belts. But as claustrophobia sets in we must begin to sober up and face the truth: hope is no longer an option.
It is time for us to recognize that our continued presence in this volatile region is a hinderance to the Oldsmobile and its people. Rather than helping the situation we are further weighing down the Oldsmobile, causing it to sink faster and faster into the quagmire of Chappaquidick Bay, creating a dangerous situation for both ourselves as well as its passengers who are desperately seeking an air pocket in which to start a better life.
That is why I believe we have reached the point where we must take a deep breath and immediately depart the Oldsmobile. We must seek through the watery darkness and release the belt latch of madness that has kept us here, and reach out for a sane and honorable window crank.
Obviously there will be passengers in the Oldsmobile who do not want us to leave, and will likely try to grasp and grab at our feet as we depart. While we wish them success, it is critical that these passengers quickly learn independence and self-determination. The most effective way to teach them is through example, and with a vigorous kick-off. Let us hope they will cherish our shoes as a lasting legacy of our commitment to liberty.
How disappointed Senator Kennedy must be that Iraqis showed up to vote in higher numbers than Boston electrical workers despite the imminent threat of death. For our Massachusetts senators, every war will always be Viet Nam, and personal dishonor will always be nationalized.
There is, of course, a deep well of political funding in making one’s self a national figure with a national consistuency, in this case, by appealing to a free nation’s self-loathing, monied minority. Twenty percent of a nation can write enough checks to keep a senile, anachronistic dowager on his throne almost indefinitely.
When Senator Kennedy spoke those words, however, our soldiers and the voters of Iraq were wondering (and still are) if this nation has the spine to back up its declared commitments to their victory over fascism. At that most critical political moment of a war against a group that calls itself “Al-Qaeda in Iraq,” this guy was doing everything he could to pull them–and us– down to his own defeatism. And of course, this is not Haiti. The non-negotiable intent of our enemies is to sever our heads from our bodies. Thus, for the sake of the survival of peace and freedom in our world, I solemnly make the following appeal to the voters of Massachusetts:
Forty years ago, the Kennedy family ruled us from your distant land. We thought in those early days that they sought victory for our nation’s cause. We thought their skill, courage, looks, and impeccable taste were enough. We thought that their election would bring a new day of equality and prosperity. They lost their national purpose in Vietnam. They abandoned the truth in the deep, muddy quagmire of the coastal tidewaters. They failed their ideals and sought comfort in strong drink, gluttony, and indiscriminate wenching. Their words could no longer be trusted. In the name of a misguided belief in a world where tyranny could be pacified and paid to desist from murder, we continued their tenure of office too long. We failed to comprehend the events around us. We did not understand that their very presence was defeating the very goals we set out to achieve. We cannot allow that history to repeat itself in Iraq. We must learn from our mistakes. We must recognize what a large and growing number of Americans now believe. Ted Kennedy’s cause has become a war against the survival of our nation, a campaign to release the bonds around the wrists of those who would murder our children in their beds and make bus bombings and pandemics at shopping malls a daily feature of our lives. We have reached the point that Senator Kennedy’s prolonged political inheritance is no longer productive for either Iraq or the United States. Senator Kennedy’s tenure has become part of the problem, not part of the solution, and we must seek a way to withdraw that tenure with all possible dispatch. It is time for Senator Kennedy to come home.