October 15, 2005

"I came to vote for Iraq."

The polls have closed in Iraq. Yesterday's blackout in Baghdad is said to have had no effect on today's voting, and I've seen no reports of significant violence today. Security was effective -- in NYT literary style, "helicopters buzzed low over dun-colored rooftops."

UPDATE: Now, have I seen reports of significant violence? WaPo has this:
The worst violence Saturday morning was in Ramadi, an insurgent and Sunni Arab stronghold about 55 miles west of the capital, where prolonged clashes between militants and U.S. soldiers forced three of the city's main polling centers to close shortly after they opened at 7 a.m. Hospital officials said that at least seven people seeking to vote were killed by insurgents early in the day, and the continuous crackle of gunfire kept streets empty.
The WaPo also reports, however, that "[i]n other Sunni areas, turnout was described as surprisingly brisk" (though those interviewed all said they voted "no").

8 comments:

Ann Althouse said...

If you're wondering what "Rod" did to offend me: I tried turning off word verification, and this was spam that came through one minute later. I had to turn word verification back on. So if you find typing out the bizarre letter combinations annoying -- I know I do -- direct your hostility at that a**hole Rod Pendergrass.

erp said...

Comment on trolls: Don't you wish they would put their energy and ingenuity into positive pursuits instead of just trying to be annoying.

Comment on your post: I've been reading reactions from the AP, Reuters, Yahoo news, etc. and every single one so far turns what is a triumph of a free people to a negative whine.

Ann Althouse said...

Erp: Rod didn't rise to the level of troll. He's just a spambot, an automatic device planting a parasitical ad in the comments.

JBlog said...

Wow, high voter turnout -- even among Sunnis -- and very little violence.

I'm sure this must be a huge disappointment for the antiwar nuts.

amba said...

I'm a sick individual . . . I love word verification. I like trying to pronounce the "words," thinking about what they might mean, what language they're in; I enjoy the different typefaces and the wavy distortions, the sense of puzzle-esque accomplishment when I can figure them out . . . sick sick sick.

eidjfyo. That's Scandinavian, or maybe Celtic (like an eistedfodd). It's pronounced similarly to "Heidi-ho." It's . . . it's the place where a glacier flows into a fjord.

And all this in a few seconds . . .

Sorry, Iraq. I am not so far picking up the same sense of triumph and jubilation that there was after the purple-fingers election in January. That may be because 1) all the reports aren't in, 2) the media are not terribly happy that it went well, 3) the surly Sunnis were taking part this time, or . . . ?

XWL said...

The NYT tried to downplay this as best they could, none of the 24 hour news channels chose to do special coverage of this event (even FNC) and CNN even ran their CNN Presents love letter to the insurgency rather than doing extra live coverage.

The NYT article is hilarious though, the disappointment in the lack of violence is palpabable throughout the writing (it really can't be called reporting).

The Kos Kids seem a bit glum today too, the Million More March was a bit of a bust, looks like Rove is off the hook, and the DeLay case doesn't look too strong either.

The comment thread regarding the election over there is full of unintentional humor.

They can't comment on the election without fretting over the boiling of our seas, impeaching Bush, or that the reason we haven't stolen the oil yet is we are waiting till the price is even higher.

The lesson today that is being taught across the region is that politics matter, and isn't always a zero sum game. All three parties gave a little and gained a little to get this constitution done, and its likely ratification signals the first steps towards a commitment to a true rule of law in a region that has suffered due to its lack.

vbspurs said...

Jblog wrote:

Wow, high voter turnout -- even among Sunnis -- and very little violence.

I'm sure this must be a huge disappointment for the antiwar nuts.


And this must be why, even given the fact that this is Saturday, and that most American were apparently rivetted to their eyeballs by the USC-Notre Dame game, that the Iraqi elections got SUCH LITTLE PLAY ON CNN, etc.

If we don't see this story overplayed tomorrow by Tim Russert in Meet the Press, you'll know the vote was a success and not a failure with which to Bash Bush! again.

It's disgusting. They're so predictable, MSM.

amba wrote:

I'm a sick individual . . . I love word verification. I like trying to pronounce the "words," thinking about what they might mean, what language they're in; I enjoy the different typefaces and the wavy distortions, the sense of puzzle-esque accomplishment when I can figure them out . . . sick sick sick.

First the nerd cred palindrome allusion, now this.

I think I love you, amba.

Or at least your mind.

Cheers,
Victoria

amba said...

Ah . . . I always wanted to be loved for my mind. Thank you, vb.