36 killed in Baghdad as Iraqis defy violence to vote

Superlib, its not quite another Vietnam like Afghanistan is. But some people were swearing we were kicking the butt of the NVA right up until the fall of Saigon! So don't count your chicken's before they have hatched.

As for casualty claims, Lancet was everyone's darling until Lancet made the U.S. and Britian look bad. Then and only then did their methods become suspect. Whose numbers do you believe and why? You know, people raised much the same objections about the Iraq figures as were raised for Holocaust figures! Who questions Holocaust figures today?

Its also a little early to say Iraq can handle democracy. The countdown begins when the coalition is finished backing slowly out the door and finally puts that gun away and not before. People said they could not handle democracy for a lot of very good reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the country was intentionally created to be a country divided along ethnic lines! That is why they have been killing eachother for 7 years! Maybe when all the violent ones have died, then they will be handling democracy? But I think its a little odd to call bombs going off around the capital on election day "handling democracy".

Odogma, LBJ did not create the poverty so no. And its the same in Iraq. I hold the person who broke the dam responsible for all the water that comes through that exceeds what previously came through. Reductions are welcome, but you cannot claim the dam is fixed until the levels return to pre-dam breaking levels. Sorry. But even if the dam is fixed there is still seven years and counting of massive water damage. You can't just over-look that. Elections are great but it does not make up for it nearly enough. The coalition was responsible for security and stability after toppling Hussein. The coalition failed the task.

Yes, when I asked if the violence would stop I was being relative. I would think that would be fairly obvious because I was not talking about bank robberies, I was talking about suicide bombings and the like.

Yes I'm Valiant. Thank you.

There's nothing in my eye.

Hopefully the troops will be home soon, whether you or SuperLib or Sarge want it. < :-)

Valiant rearguard effort there, adaydream.

But it's still a big middle finger,coloured purple, that free Iraqis, not superlib or sarge, jammed in your eye on Sunday.

Remember the lies in the build-up to the war? I do. The radical left said that Iraq couldn't handle democracy, one of the many countries on the list of exclusively non-white countries that they reserve that statement for. I remember hearing how it wouldn't work. I only remember the republicans disrespecting all middle-easterners ((Remember it the way you want.)) I remember hearing that the US would take over the oil fields. We did, and we even let contracts, but when the Iraqi government came back into power, they took them back. I remember hearing that the invasion would cause other governments in the Middle East to fall. The republicans kept saying how democracy would spread like widefire.After the war started, we heard more lies from the radical left with exponentially inflated casually claims that they've now conveniently backed away from after realizing they were in bed with the media who did little to nothing to check their facts in their rush to feed rabid anti-war crowd.Remember it any way you want to, it's your memory. How many times did we read that it was just another Vietnam? And if John McCain had gotten elected it would be another Vietnam. As it is it's still the longest war we've ever been in.

All lies for the Radical Left Smear Campaign Memorial War.

SuperLib you just won the Sarge sound alike award. < :-)

Well, now that the election is over, I guess the killing will stop?

What a silly question. Has it stopped in Pakistan? - - created over 60 years ago. Has it ended in Lebanon? Has it ended in Gaza, returned completely to the Palestinians...

LBJ declared war on poverty in the late 60's. Do progressives such as yourself look at a drug addict, unemployed by choice, and curse Johnson and his administration?

Remember the lies in the build-up to the war? I do. The radical left said that Iraq couldn't handle democracy, one of the many countries on the list of exclusively non-white countries that they reserve that statement for. I remember hearing how it wouldn't work. I remember hearing that the US would take over the oil fields. I remember hearing that the invasion would cause other governments in the Middle East to fall. After the war started, we heard more lies from the radical left with exponentially inflated casually claims that they've now conveniently backed away from after realizing they were in bed with the media who did little to nothing to check their facts in their rush to feed rabid anti-war crowd. How many times did we read that it was just another Vietnam?

All lies for the Radical Left Smear Campaign Memorial War.

Correction: tell me how no innocent Iraqis have not died.

tell me how no innocent Iraqis have died. < :-)

SuperLib, tell me how no innocent Iraqis have not died. Tell me how the US went into Iraq and pinpointed their attack and didn't murder 1000s of Iraqis in the "Shock and Aw", the initial attack alone.

SuperLib you're starting to sound more like Sarge.

I hope the US troops come home, whether you ever want them to return. You sound just fine with having our troops in Iraq.

The US has done enough damage. The Iraqi soldiers and police are doing a good job, bring our troops home.

By some standards the Iraqi election went off pretty well. We've been there long enough. < :-)

murdering 100s of 1000s of innocent Iraqis

More of the same pack of lies sold to us by the radical left.

Sarge So is Obama going to admit that Bush and Blair were right in liberating Iraq?>

I doubt it. bush and blair were associates in murdering 100s of 1000s of innocent Iraqis that never ever ask for the US to liberate them.

The Iraqi troops are ready to take over operations. Bring our troops home. < :-)

Yes, thanks to the liberation of Iraq.

Thanks to staying and cleaning up the mess they caused in the first place, actually, just as I said in my post (if you'd read it properly).

Odogma said: The all-important second free election went off far, far better than the naysayers and Saddam apologists expected.

You are right, I did expect more than 36 to die! Even after 7 years of slaughter somehow I figured more would die yet! What was I thinking?

Well, now that the election is over, I guess the killing will stop?

"With luck, they'll be able to build their nation into something they can be proud of and which will be a benefit to the region and the world"

Yes, thanks to the liberation of Iraq.

So is Obama going to admit that Bush and Blair were right in liberating Iraq?

Why would he want to do that? Bush and Blair invaded Iraq under false pretenses based on doctored evidence. That sort of thing is never right. What they did do right was not to cut and run after the fact. That would have been disastrous. Credit to the former and current US administrations for staying long enough to allow the Iraqi people time to start to rebuild their country. This election is a great sign, especially with most Iraqis voting now along lines of who is best for the country, rather than on tribal or religious grounds. With luck, they'll be able to build their nation into something they can be proud of and which will be a benefit to the region and the world.

Way to go iraq,the future looking bright for the Iraq arab world. So nice to see a better Iraq,starting its journey to higher sucess.

Most developing nations need plenty of time to succeed. China and other natiions, took 6 decades to do well economically.

Iraq's economy can double its GDP ,in next 5-10 years via its petrodollars and more peace.

"President Barack Obama praised Iraqis who took part in the historic vote"

So is Obama going to admit that Bush and Blair were right in liberating Iraq?

I wouldn't have gone to vote.... I'm a scaredy cat :o

Risk & waste to vote. Go fishing, hunting & gathering until the warlords go out of business

Iraq just completed the largest free elections ever held in that country.

The all-important second free election went off far, far better than the naysayers and Saddam apologists expected.

Check out the stats for violence in Africa vs. Iraq for the same time periods. The difference? No US soldiers in Africa....no outrage.

One would get the impression from the "news" that Iraq was a dangerous place. Perhaps even more dangerous that just one city in the U.S. Unfortunately, this would not be the case. In 2008 alone there were 509 murders in Chicago. How many soldiers in all of Iraq, a country at war, of sorts? Answer: 314. Now this number is a little deceiving. It's would be FAR worse were we to add all of the murders in the rest of the U.S., which usually hovers around 20,000 per year. So, why the disconnect between the reality, and the illusion created for public consuption? Well, perhaps that's exactly what it is i.e., "created for public consumption". But the U.S. doesn't really have to worry about deaths during voting because so few vote. Given this fact, I guess we are safer in a way.

May the people trying to disrupt the elections have their bombs go off in their hands and well away from their targets. And may the votes actually count and be counted.

Zakaria's take from CNN.com:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/05/zakaria.iraq.turning.point/index.html?hpt=C1

Maliki's party,Ayad Allawi Party,Muqtada(SIIC),PUK(jalal talabani),Change party and others should unite ,after the 325 seats are taken up.

Only iraqis can make things better, for better future,in their nation.