The critics will escalate their grumbling ahead of Sunday’s vote, and there will be more violence. But Iraq’s newborn democracy is a juggernaut that will not be stopped.
[…]
Iraqi democracy, let us not forget, is entering only its fifth year. It is patently imperfect to Western eyes, but it is, on its own terms, a miracle. Contrast Iraq—as the peerless Fouad Ajami did Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal—with Egypt, where Hosni Mubarak has ruled undemocratically for 29 years! For all the violence in their land, Iraqis have something that Egyptians crave: the vote. It is no wonder that Mubarak pours scorn on Iraq: Had Egyptians had a free vote at any time during his heavy-handed time as pharaoh, they would have sent him packing from Cairo seated on the back of an ass. And as I read accounts, in The New York Times, of Iraq’s electioneering—of the posters and billboards of competing politicians from competing parties, offering their competing visions and manifestos—I pitied the Egyptians who see the face of only one politician on their billboards.
Meanwhile, Newsweek reports: Victory at Last
Just two years behind the blogosphere.
Speaking of Missing W., have you seen this, Kate?
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&rlz=1R2GGLL_enUS335&q=Obama+negotiate+the+future+Falkland+Islands&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&fp=db64f927cfe7b756
Joe Biden has already given credit for pulling America out of Iraq to Obama.
syf, I was wondering how long it would take for Obama to take the credit.
me too
Everytime I see the “I miss w” line I nearly pee myself. It’s an exercise in cognitive dissonance no doubt. Obama is bad, but W was also bad. How about “I want a true conservative”
If Eqyptians had the vote, they probably would’ve elected another Nasser or some other crazy like happened in the Palestinian territories-another placed W put his dumbocracy model in place. Oops. It is entirely possible Iraqis will elect an anti-western government someday.
I once supported the spread democracy idea but came to realize that whatever the merits of deposing Saddam, giving Iraqis the vote has been ruinously expensive and at best no benefit to American interests.
I think that Iraq is going to be successful. Iraq has a huge potential for all it’s citizens. It’s success is going to tranform the middle east. Saudi Arabia and Iran are screwing around in Iraq because they understand the threat to their own regimes. I think that Bush had the right idea and deserves massive credit for this.
I also think that Afghanistan is going to be successfull. I think that this will help fix the huge mess that is Pakistan. I think that Obama did the right thing with the surge.
Well, you know, it wasn’t a victory until The One could claim it as his.
“””and at best no benefit to American interests.”””
spoken by a closet dweller
not only does deposing a terrorist supporting (and financing) dictator benefit the USA, it benefits the whole world
There is still a good chance that in reality OBOZO is an ignorant, imature, case of arrested development—-much like a university sophormore.
He plunges about, in the thrall of ivory tower leftists, with the wisdom and experience of a teenager.
Despite his apparent arrogance—he manifests all the traits of an inferiority complex.
I never said that deposing Sadaam wasn’t in US interests, just that staying longer than it took to capture Sadaam was.
Cytotoxic
[……I never said that deposing Sadaam wasn’t in US interests, just that staying longer than it took to capture Sadaam was.]
Cherish that thought…..it likely keeps you somewhat sane…..like blaming “W.” for everything the “won” has botched….everything.
When the Russians withdrew from A’stan….the west adopted a hands off policy and that didn’t end well…..instability can be as bad as the original tyrant/regime…..or worse….