Iraqi election

GratisNet: "The Iraqi election is history. Despite reports of the Kurds importing 10,000 or so 'voters' to Kirkuk in order to inflate their numbers of representatives in the government and the continually 'downsizing' of the estimate of voter participation, before anyone even has a clue as to how many votes were cast, from the initial giddy 90% to the current and probably still slightly inflated 40-45%, the process seemed to have worked reasonably well. One fact that will not be mentioned by the media or the Bush regime is that security, for the most part, was provided by the Iraqis themselves with US forces having little or nothing to do with guarding polling places, etc..

It will take 6-8 weeks to count the vote and one thing is certain, there will be minimal Sunni participation in the 'new' government and that fact, in itself, bodes ill for the stability and security if the 'new' Iraq (to borrow the term from the 'new' CNN). One can only hope that the long suffering Iraqi people, Shi'ites, Kurds, Christians and Sunnis will, at long last, find the security with freedom that they desire. Of course, this hopeful start on the road to self determination in Iraq can still be derailed for as we have learned in our past 3 election cycles (2000, 2002, 2004) it isn't the votes that count, it 's those who count the votes that matter.

What happens if the unthinkable occurs? What will be the result if the newly elected Iraqi government as its first order of business chooses to direct America to end the occupation and withdraw? They could well do this as a result of Iraqi security forces having done a more than adequate job yesterday, a job which served to underscore that they are not dependent upon a foreign occupying power to protect them. Does anyone harbor the slightest thought that the Bush regime will comply? What will a refusal mean for Iraq? What will a refusal mean for America? Stay tuned for while the events of yesterday were indeed hopeful, the events of the next few months will hold the key to the prospect of peace, freedom and security in Iraq."