Posted on 11/30/2004 5:24:06 AM PST by OESY
...The argument for postponement, of course, is that the insurgency in Iraq will make holding elections difficult....
But Iraq's anti-democratic forces already seem to be operating at maximum capacity, and recent coalition operations are reducing their ranks as they've lost safe havens. The last thing these terrorists should see now is that their resort to violence can force postponement of the vote. That could lead to even more violence and another delay, and then another....
The danger is that any significant postponement will shift Shiite sentiment in the direction of more radical voices -- Moqtada al-Sadr's or others'. Moreover, if the Iranians are looking for a pretext to increase the scale and effectiveness of their meddling in Iraq, delayed elections would be it....
Mr. Allawi has done much to distinguish himself as a spokesman for the new Iraq and a leader willing to make tough decisions....
The Prime Minister has since pledged elections on time, but in more equivocal terms than we'd like....
Over the weekend Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih summed up the bottom line nicely, saying that while it would be a real challenge to hold elections on time, delay would be worse because it would have "serious ramifications to the political process" and bolster the Baathists and terrorists. As for Iraq's Sunnis generally, the way to get them on board is not to cede them effective veto power but to give those among them who want to participate the prospect of a real legislative presence. Any elected Shiite majority will be able to succeed only if it recognizes minority rights, which the Kurds as well as the Sunnis will be demanding....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
The Old Media kept saying Afghanistan elections would be futile as well, and look how great that turned out. Go back further and you'll find our war in that country was doomed to failure as well. And folks still listen when they spit words out. Go figure.
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