Sunday, February 13, 2005

The Iraqi Elections: The Results Are In

Do you think Noam Chomsky ever gets tired of being so wrong all the time? (I doubt it; he probably just rolls around in his money bin like Scrooge McDuck whenever he gets down). In the latest edition of that liberal parlor game called 'moving goalposts', we were assured by Chomsky, Juan Cole and various other 'progressive' blowhards that even if the elections did occur, despite their dire predictions of failure, and even if they weren't a bloodbath, despite their Chicken Little warnings, they were still a failure becuase the Shiites were guaranteed a dominant majority that would align with Iran and present the U.S. with a nightmare worse than Saddam.

Wrong again, Chomsky! The results are in, and though the primary Shiite coaliton won 48% of the vote, they don't have the majority needed to govern in such an autocratic manner, which I doubt they would have done in the first place. The second highest vote share went to a Kurdish alliance, good news indeed, and an alliance backing the current Prime Minister came in third.

This is great news for the nascent democracy of Iraq. It means that internal compromise will be necessary to govern effectively, and guarantees a voice for minority viewpoints. The terrorists continue to murder innocent Iraqis daily, but there can be no doubt that, if they ever had an opportunity to define themselves as the saviors of Iraq's sovereignty, that time has long passed. My 'progressive' friends, I say to you - the battle may yet rage, but the war has been won.

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