Thursday, December 15, 2005

Who won today's election?

Iraq did.


Polls Close After Iraqi Voters Turn Out in Droves

Aliens invaders take over Los Angeles Times


"A GOOD DAY IN AL ANBAR PROVINCE"

MSNBC's Bagdadblog: "These results are still unofficial - coming from State Department figures and not from the Independent Electoral Commission in Iraq (IECI) - but the headline is that it was a good day in terms of voter turnout, not only in Fallujah, but throughout al Anbar province.

Preliminary figures have 21,000 people voting in Ramadi, 19,000 in Hit/Haditha, and 42,000 in the far west – where the cities of Qaim and Rutbah are located.

That would be over 80,000 votes, not including around 200,000 in the greater Fallujah area.

By comparison, about 14,000 voted through out the province in January of this year."

Roger L. Simon: Mystery Novelist and Screenwriter

Roger L. Simon: Mystery Novelist and Screenwriter: "BIG LOSERS of the day so far: Howard Dean, Jack Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of the reactionary, fuddy-duddy leadership of the Democratic Party. (To call them 'liberals' is absurd because they have no ideology whatsoever.) How will they spin this? Of course the second big loser is the Mainstream Media - again without ideology, really."


W. Thomas Smith Jr. on Iraq on National Review Online

W. Thomas Smith Jr. on Iraq on National Review Online: "As Iraqis queue up at polling stations, some of the scenes look more like a series of regional block parties than what most Westerners would associate with an election day. Children can be seen waving flags or playing soccer. Adults are cheering, clapping hands, beating drums, singing, dancing, and waving at passing U.S. and Iraqi military vehicles. There simply seems to have been more energy in the run-up to this election than in previous ones. And why not?"

Gateway Pundit: Surprise Guest at Iraqi Elections

Gateway Pundit: Surprise Guest at Iraqi Elections: "Senator Joseph 'We're doomed in Iraq' Biden joined the party today in Hillah.

Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., accompanied US Iraqi Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to the city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad."

Hammorabi

Hammorabi: "In few hours time Iraq will be the Model in Democracy and freedom for the Middle East and the Arab region.

Iraq will lead the changes.

Finally the totalitarian and the one dogma dominated region will end.

God make people free and no one should impose his thoughts to control the others."

ThreatsWatch.Org: InBrief: Voting in Barwana


ThreatsWatch.Org: InBrief: Voting in Barwana: "Barwana, once part of Zarqawi self declared “Islamic Republic of Iraq”, is now the scene of al-Qaeda’s greatest nightmare: Muslims exercising their constitutional right to chose their destiny."

BBC NEWS World Middle East 'This is stability, at last'

Read the whole thing.

(Graphic: © Buddy Larson 2005.)

50 comments:

vnjagvet said...

Well done, Seneca.

This will be tough to downplay, I think.

All of the CIC's speeches would have been for naught if this day was a disaster.

But it was not. It was a triumph.

And the Sunnis participated in overwhelming numbers.

When will our press do likewise?

buddy larsen said...

Who is progressive, now?
Who is revolutionary, now?

Terrorism just lost its Radical Chic.

vnjagvet said...

Buddy:

Love the graphic.

Anonymous said...

Buddy:

I was going to type "Love the graphic" but vnjagvet beat me to it. Sooo . . . I'll just say . . .
Love the graphic.

And I know it is very premature, but I wonder; in 15 years, will Iraq or France be the closer ally?

truepeers said...

Good on you Iraq, USA.

Doug said...

NY Times John Burns' "Interactive" piece has some great photos and nice commentary.

Doug said...

Now we just need a MOTTO
for the "Budding" Artist!

Doug said...

"Eternal Bud"
A Budding Reproduction

truepeers said...

Buddieful

vnjagvet said...

Buddiacious

Doug said...

Buddylicious

Doug said...

Walking the walk and talking the talk with Mark Steyn

Doug said...

Just noticed, that page also has a link to an INCREDIBLE Moore like interview with the "great" professor Erwin Chemerinsky:
(Never did regard that guy as highly as Hugh. Hewitt was SPEECHLESS.)
Erwin Chemerinsky will deny success in Iraq three times.
12-14smartguys.mp3

Doug said...

The R Simon link reminds me that Burn's came away with One Word to describe the scene in Iraq:
Happiness.

Doug said...

Sorry, it's the W. Thomas Smith Jr link.

Rick Ballard said...

"And I know it is very premature, but I wonder; in 15 years, will Iraq or France be the closer ally?"

Dec. 20, 2020 - Paris, Iraq

President Jenna Bush met today with Prime Minister Tamara Chalabi in the capital city of Iraq's northernmost province to discuss the proposed merger of WATO (West Asian Treaty Organization) with the remaining members of the NATO alliance.

As a charter member of both organizations, US agreement to said merger was anticipated to be a matter of formality rather than serious negotiation. It is interesting to note that both leaders fathers had worked together early in the century during Operation Iraqi Freedom - the foundation of democracy in the middle east. The cession of France to Iraq by the United Nations as reparation for French perfidy during the runup to OIF was mandated by a Security Council Resolution of 2015 which was followed by a French plebescite relinquishing France to Iraq in 2016.

Credit for the astonishing 85% victory margin in the plebescite has been assigned to campaign manager Karl Rove whose "Be a winner - for once" slogan caught fire among the then French.

truepeers said...

Meanwhile, Chuck Dugold, leading the remaining Free French garrison on St. Pierre and Miquelon, once again refused to recognize the merger unless Prime Minister Steyn of the UK, reneged on his decision to end British contributions to the North Atlantic Islands Commonwealth of old Europa (NAICE).

Doug said...

This Guy, that had a silly comment at Roger's made post below.
...I would appreciate if the local experienced legal expert did a post on the basics of what we can do and not do under fair use.
Thanks.
---
PJM - Rut Roh!
This from PJM on the front page.: In the blogosphere, In The Bullpen has photos from news services, ...
At the height of the Holloway coverage I had a warning form a guy at AP about reposting a photo. I'm not sure about what licenses PJM has purchased, but I'm not sure it's a good idea for a formal company to post the link and citation they have. Not to mention their own disclaimers about re-purposing their content. Hmm.

Charlie Martin said...

Oh, by the way, thanks for all the nice words, folks, but Buddy did the illo and Rick took my umpteen posts --- I was all excited and just hitting "Blog This" left and right --- and turned them into one post. About all I contributed creatively was putting "Iraq Won" in Courier.

buddy larsen said...

Hey--what a rush, to check in & see all the nice words. Makes my day, in the little way, after Iraq made it, in the big way. Sometimes things go well!

buddy larsen said...

that or instead of putting my hand on the scanner, sit on it. Oh, that was mean--

buddy larsen said...

I'm only in it for the aht, you know.

buddy larsen said...

Ot, ot, I live for the ot!

ex-democrat said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
buddy larsen said...

This journalist watched a Zarkawi decap video on his computer, and up and joined the Marines. Damn!

"We often talk about how our policies are radicalizing young men in the Middle East to become our enemies, but rarely do we talk about how their actions are radicalizing us. In a brief moment of revulsion, sitting there in that living room, I became their blowback."

buddy larsen said...

The LATimes article--yes--alien invaders--pretty flabbergasting.

Maybe now that they've had to downsize the staff, the evening clean-up crew is 'putting it to bed'?

The Illegal aliens from Sanchez Janitorial Services?

Doug said...

Thanks in advance, Julian.
---
Buddy,
When GWB talked about the honors student we lost that had everything going for him when he informed his dad that he wanted to do something more meaningful like join the Marines, I had a similar, if more tearful reaction.
...then his dad did something heroic in his loving tribute.
Forgot the specifics, but not the gravity.

buddy larsen said...

TIME Magazine has just fired the sales staff. Word is, the shake up will be a turn around so radical they're gonna spell 'time' backwards, call it EMIT Magazine, with the new slogan "We emit we were wrong about the war".

Doug said...

A few words from the loser:

Let me 'shplain it fer ya. Like last month, when a couple of the French recruits knocked on my cubicle while I was filling out the Q3 casualty spreadsheet. "Um, Monsieur Zarqawi, we would like to request a transfer to the Paris office."

Okay, so I'm like looking over at Khalid, trying not to laugh. "mmm, okayyyy, any particular reason?"

"Well, sir, since we are French, and France is hot right now, um, and we know the territory and all, we just, like, thought our jihad org skill development would be, well better in the, uh...Paris..."

"Mmm hmm. And what skills would those be?"

"Well, uh, you know. Car burning, subway Jew beating, things like that. People skills."

Shit, I though I was gonna spray some Mecca-Cola through my nose when I saw Khalid behind them, doing that throat-slash thingy with his hook, but I kept it together.
"Sure! Sounds like a plan, guys! Umm, why don't you go with Khalid. He'll take you out back and have you fill out the transfer forms." Long story short, they're back in Paris. Torsos, at least.

In fairness I guess you expect that kind of pussified goatshit from French recruits, even when they're shahids.
Weasels or not, at least they have enough sense to try to save their own asses.
But man, then there are these crazy fucking Saudi and Yemeni and Syrian assholes. Those guys are so stupid and horny for Paradise poontang that they're already blowing themselves up before they get their luggage unloaded from the courtesy van. We got a little joke here at the office:

"What's the last thing
a Saudi says to a Syrian
before they met Allah?
"What does this button do?"
"

I'm telling you, If you were around these felchers 10 minutes you'd be convinced we need to rethink this whole marrying-in-the-clan thing.
And, along with the stupid, comes the gullibility. Zawahiri, in all his motivational wisdom, bought a Dish Network subscription for the office so we could get the CNN and MSNBC feeds.
"Good for morale,"
or something like that.

. I'm Surrounded By Idiots

buddy larsen said...

Doug, I get the distinct impression that's what's selling the new way to Iraqis is not so much our system as our soldiers.

Doug said...

Forgot the important Texas snip:

Okay, I know I'm beginning to sound like a depressed broken record here, but consider this:
the elections are still on, and even that worthless fat fuck al-Sadr has put down the halwa and waddled over to join the infidel democracy bullshit.
I'm starting to get paranoid about my job security because OBL stopped returning my emails a month ago. Yeah, I've heard the rumor that he's dead, but either way it looks like I'll be lucky if the bonus this year is
"Zarkman lives to see the Texas-USC game."

Doug said...

We'll try to fool them into thinkin the rest of us are like that.
...or even close.
At least I'm getting better at paying proper respect.

buddy larsen said...

here's a peter UK joke modified to a blonde joke:

Blonde is joining the army, recruiter asks "Can you kill a man?" Blonde answers "Eventually."

Doug said...

No Joke .
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. - A lesbian couple who entered into the nation's first same-sex civil union are splitting up amid allegations of violent behavior. Carolyn Conrad, 35, asked a court in October to end her relationship with Kathleen Peterson, 46.

Conrad also obtained a restraining order Wednesday against her partner, saying Peterson punched a hole in the wall during an argument and threatened to harm a friend.

"All I want to say is that the civil union was a big source of pride for me, and now it's not," Peterson said.

buddy larsen said...

I can't worry about the culture wars until that Iranian Adolf bites the dust.

Syl said...

Hey Buddy, the graphic is great!

chuck said...

Conrad also obtained a restraining order Wednesday against her partner, saying Peterson punched a hole in the wall during an argument and threatened to harm a friend.

I don't know that this really proves anything except bad choices. Lesbian abuse is not a new thing, there was a lesbian couple who lived up the airshaft in the building in NYC where I once shared an apartment. They had big fights and the lipstick lesbian of the pair would sometimes show up sporting a shiner.

buddy larsen said...

Thanks, Syl--it coulda used your colorism--and it was a rush job, fingers needed a clean-up i see now.

Chuck, what was the beef, i'd LOVE to be a lesbian!
\;-D (*groaaan*)

buddy larsen said...

Peter, I knew you were going to say that.

Doug said...

What's a "Gas Job?"
---
Schroeder assailed for taking gas job .
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder faces mounting accusations of "disgusting" sleaze.

Barry Dauphin said...

Buddy,

Great graphic. Perhaps the next CafePress T-shirt could say, "Hey moonbats!" and replace the purple finger with the middle finger.

buddy larsen said...

Barry--that's thirdsies, seller, artworker, and idea man. I'm giving mine to the Salvation Army, since that's where i shop.

buddy larsen said...

really, everything is already broken in, it does some good, is cheap, and it REALLY offends snotty-ass daughters to know you do it.

Doug said...

Peter, that's OLD News.
Today's news is that Bush is a closet KGB type looking into our bedrooms.
Good enough reason to give Terrorists their Rights, Trash the Patriot Act, and oh yeah, put all your "news" about yesterday behind us, where it belongs, in the dustbin of history.
...along w/all those bodies.

Anonymous said...

Who won today's election?

Iran, that's who.
Without ever firing a shot.
Thanks America.

truepeers said...

Oh well, anonymous, at least you are showing yourself what you really think about democracy. In fact, Iraq and the rest of the world is much better off with these elections, even if Shiite theocrats get elected. Because it is step one to establishing the norm of free and open elections. And if there remains enough will in Americs to insist that this norm be re-inforced, that there will be future elections, then in time the self-correcting principles of democracy will soften all edges.

BUt it takes faith in humanity to believe in such a thing. Better than giving up and saying just let the tyrants rule, don't you think? Or how do you get out of bed in the morning?

chuck said...

Who won today's election?

Iran, that's who.
Without ever firing a shot.
Thanks America.


Now, now. We all know how silly that axis of evil talk was, right?

Anonymous said...

truepeers said "Or how do you get out of bed in the morning?"

I don't.

My point wasn't about whether or not democracy is a good thing. It was about unintended consequences and "irony". There's a difference there.

Anyhow, I'm glad the voting is going well. But excuse me if I hold off on singing praises while I wait and see what happens over the next few months.

truepeers said...

Anonymous, if your "point" was about unintended consequenes and irony it was well hidden. But then you are probably one of those pomo chaps/esses who can't express himherself without subtle irony, as if your method of thinking and speaking were a truth in itself. But as the CHinese Daoists already learned millennia ago, the way that can be spoken of is not the true or eternal way.

Which is no excuse not to have faith, quite the opposite. So you're glad but you'll hold off singing praises? What a life! Little if any faith! If everyone thinks like this, I'll guarantee you that things will turn bad in the next few months and we'll have nothing to sing about.

buddy larsen said...

Iran's dictatorship can't live next to Iraq's democracy--the ranting is already looking like abject fear.

Truepeers--you're soo right--the singing of praises has no neutral position when one's people are in the event.

Singing praises is part of creating the thing that is praised, the praising itself--showing that that which is meant to be praisworthy, IS SO, is a major determinant of its success.

To be praiseworthy by the people praising is to be praieworthy by self-evidence.

Of course an apple won't be an orange, but strange fruit may be tried in community--and found to be praiseworthy.

Sour silence is just uncommitted booing and hissing.

The fence-sitter is a study in the relationship among fear, ego, and emptiness.