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January 30, 2005

What A Wonderful Thing To Wake Up To. [Dave at Garfield Ridge]

When I went to sleep last night, the Iraqis had just begun their voting.

When I woke up just now, the Iraqis had finished-- in record numbers, without the widespread violence everyone, including me, had feared.

Alas, there still were attacks, and tragic deaths as a result. Zarqawi's group claimed responsibility for several in a very odd way:

A statement posted on several Islamic Web sites, purportedly from a group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks on polling areas in Baghdad as well as attacks in other areas of Iraq.

The statement said the group had promised to conduct the attacks "to make fun of those that demand democracy."

Ha! The jokes on you, beheader:

I wonder what John Kerry and his faithless friends are going to say about all of this?

Kerry: 'We Should Not Overhype Election'.... (Drudge)

John Kerry, I believe we should finally stop overhyping *you*.

More from his "Meet the Press interview, care of the WaPo:

"It is hard to say that something is legitimate when whole portions of the country can't vote and doesn't vote," Kerry said.

Those prevented from voting were kept away by the enemy; would John Kerry have thrown away the whole election in order to please our enemies? Uh, don't answer that.

Besides, someone should tell John Kerry that it's happened before. I wonder if he'd like to the winner of this election illegitimate.

Godspeed, free people of Iraq. May you soon live in peace and prosperity, and cheerfully wave goodbye at our boys and girls heading home in victory.

---
UPDATE: One last thought before I leave my house this morning: what do today's events tell us about the strength of our enemies?

The insurgents had months to prepare for this election. The all knew how important it was. Yet, by all reports so far, they failed in their nefarious mission.

I expect more bombings, and assassinations of newly-elected members of the Iraqi Parliament. But still, this was our enemies golden opportunity, a chance to launch their own Tet Offensive with all of the world's media-- well, at least some of them-- watching. They failed to take that chance, either through miscalculation, or impotence.

I believe that the truth is likely to be much, much closer to the latter than the former reason. Don't be looking hard for any folks in the MSM to be saying that, however. America and Free Iraq winning the war makes for bad copy at the New York Times.

Even as the war continues, I'm reminded today of the words of Margaret Thatcher, after the first British victory in the until-then dark days of the Falklands War: "Rejoice! Rejoice!"

Yes indeed. Rejoice today. Rejoice!

-- Dave at Garfield Ridge.

posted by Ace at 10:39 AM

Comments

The insurgents had months to prepare for this election. The all knew how important it was. Yet, by all reports so far, they failed in their nefarious mission.

I´m not sure, if they really failed their mission. It depends on what you think their mission was. They knew exactley that it wouldn´t be possible to kill every voter. So their tactic was mainly one of intimidating voters in order to keep them away from the ballot boxes.
All they need is a low voter turnout in order to able to claim that the elected president lacks legitimacy.
So, we have to wait until the final numbers are released. I, for one, wouldn´t mind if the numbers for the turnout were manipulated this time in order to show a high turnout and thus blow a strike to the insurgents morale. It would be just a fair way to compensate the terrorists efforts to prevent democracy.
But maybe that is not even necessary because the Iraqis desire to vote may be bigger than their fear of the terrorists.

Posted by: Ulan Bator on January 30, 2005 11:51 AM

I'm so proud that people were able to vote after 50 years of despotic rule. Nevermind the fact that Hussein was a U.S. backed leader. I don't agree with the reasoning behind this war, (I think we should be in Northern Pakistan right now) but I'm proud of this positive outcome. I don't agree with the U.S.'s choice in who to back (he's a former Hussein loyalist and hit man), but I'm down with democracy and, again, I agree Dave, it felt great to wake up to democracy in action this morning. God bless America. Chris

Posted by: Chris Grant on January 30, 2005 12:16 PM

The way I know, with certainy, that the Iraqi elections were a historic success is that John Kerry says that they were not. Kerry says that this is not the real test of success and that the Iraqis have no chance of making it without some magic international community "coming together".

That's how I know it was a truly great day for Iraq and America.

Posted by: ArrMatey on January 30, 2005 12:26 PM

What great news! Yeah, baby, yeah!

I love the MyWay sub-headline: "Festive Voting." Yessss! Spirited crowds. Clapping. Cheering. Lines of veiled women. Chocolates. Festive juice drinks. They turned out in the zillions.

Gonna be a lot of disappointed Donks.

And too bad the MSM will have forgotten about the wonderful story by, uh, say, Monday evening.

Posted by: rdbrewer on January 30, 2005 12:46 PM

Who's this "John Kerry" you speak of?

Posted by: senator philabuster on January 30, 2005 01:02 PM

Dave, I think your analysis of the lack of a meaningful attempt to disrupt election day by the terrorists is spot on. I think if the MSM ever published some meaningful analysis of attacts and casualties I think you'd see a dramatic down turn since the Battle of Fallujah. The jig is up Z-Man!

Posted by: BrewFan on January 30, 2005 01:27 PM

Kerry, you know, that horse-ass-faced turd-spitter who's been flatulating out his pie hole all week about the Iraqi elections.

He just knew things were going to go badly, you see. Smart. That way, he set himself up to ride the top of the wave of anti-Bush criticism when things went, you know, badly... which... they did not... you know, if they ... er, had gone badly, that is. As it were.

Vote: It's like Beano to Kerry.

Posted by: rdbrewer on January 30, 2005 01:30 PM

John Kerry, I believe we should finally stop overhyping *you*.

Right on Dave.

Posted by: Hans on January 30, 2005 01:50 PM

Hmmm...I vaguely remember the name....No..that's John kennedy I remember.......Kerry.....Kerry.....Just doesnt ring any bells. Was he ever relevant?

Posted by: senator philabuster on January 30, 2005 02:08 PM

Speaking of Tet, I'm reminded that today is the 36th anniversary of the beginning of the Tet Offensive.

For once, the irony is welcome.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Posted by: Dave at Garfield Ridge on January 30, 2005 08:04 PM

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Top Headlines

SpaceX's IPO sets the stage for the colonization of the solar system -- by private enterprise [CBD]

Teen Driver Tayvin Galanakis Wins Jury Trial Against Officers Who Charged Him With DUI Even After He Blew 0.0 on A Breathalyzer And Passed Sobriety Tests. One Officer Accounted For 72% of All DUI Arrests For That PD [dri]

Days before the woman was stabbed in the neck by a taxpayer-supported Cultural Enrichment Officer, in the same general area, another taxpayer-supported Cultural Enrichment Officer attacked a boy and bloodied his head with a brick.
What is the UK Regime's plan for protecting the citizens from the savage criminals they've foisted on the populace? They offer NONE. They do, however, have a plan for protecting the savage criminals from the citizens: The citizens must STAY CALM and not get angry and not share videos of citizens being attacked by savage criminals.
The public keeps saying "protect us from the foreign savages you have imported against our wishes and over our objections" and the UK branch of The Regime keeps proposing plans to protect the foreign savages from the public. Soclose to what the public is demanding, just, you know, the complete opposite.
Just a thought: Maybe you wouldn't have to worry about the public attacking the savage criminals if you actually introduced a plan to protect the public from the savage criminals. Maybe they wouldn't feel as if it was necessary for them to protect the public through self-help.

Courtney Subramiam, one of the "journalists" who "previewed" her questions for the decrepit and demented Biden so that he could "answer" it with a pre-scripted response, rewarded by promotion to president of the White House Press Corps

Bonchie
@bonchieredstate

hahahahaha

This is the lady who gave her question to Biden beforehand, and he had it written verbatim in his notes with her picture.

You know what's really terrible? There are Daily Signal reporters in the press room. That's the Real Scandal Here!

English racist garbage-person who's on the wrong side of history warns the corrupt Regime that the people cannot take much more of this -- and won't take much more of this
The English have rebelled before.

All of the various Bob Dylans
by Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

TJM gets lost in the worlds of David Lynch

You might think that movie critics by nature are effeminate and bitchy, but, did you know that grass is green and red peppers are red?

"We have black ghetto fatigue"

Odd 90s-Retro Susan Collins ad against the Nazi Hotchkiss "hobby farmer"
I like the throwback AOL style of the ad.

Podcast: Sefton and CBD bounce around from Maine and its pet Nazi, to the cracks in the Democrat messaging, to the failure of California and its effect on the 2028 election, sea drones rescuing Apache crews, and more!

Seattle mayor shrugs off millionaire-tax concerns as 44% of business leaders consider leaving
It happens in all the blue states, but WA and Seattle will be different! [CBD]

TJM definitively ranks the films of Alexander Mackendrick

VOTE JEFF CARTER FOR NV STATE TREASURER!
[CBD]

Mary Margaret Olohan
@MaryMargOlohan

NEW: Five FBI employees were fired today over the infamous Richmond Catholic memo on "radical traditionalist Catholics," FBI source confirms to @realDailyWire.

Oof. Reviewers do not like Scary Movie 6. The criticism I keep hearing is that the movie mistakes a reference for an actual joke. The movie (they say) keeps Key Jangling a reference to another movie (or some other pop culture ephemera) and you expect there to be a joke but nope, the Key Jangle was the joke. Other reviewers say that the promise that "no lines will be uncrossed" is a fake-out, and that the movie is bland and inoffensively corporate.

TJM introduces you to the movies of Alexander Mackendrick

Whoops! I posted about Dan Goldman losing the NY congressional primary. He might do that, but it won't be tonight -- the primary isn't held until June 23.

One race to keep an eye on: the Levi's heir nepo baby and egregious "Designated Liar" Dan Goldman -- one of the Democrats from a safe district Democrats send out to spread their most indefensible lies -- may actually lose his lower Manhattan/Brooklyn set due to, get this, antisemitism in the Democrat primary electorate.
Antisemitism? In the anti-Nazi Democrat Party? Sounds crazy, I know, but apparently the anti-Nazi Party wants to eliminate Jews.

Henry Rosoff
@HenryRosoff

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Brad Lander is 34-pts ahead of Congressman Dan Goldman with #NY10 Democratic Primary voters. @ZohranKMamdani is backing the former Comptroller.

@bradlander: 57%

@danielsgoldman: 23%

Poll by @PIX11News & @EmersonPolling.

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Oh my Totenkopf Tattoo, that is a DRUBBING!
I'm usually very anti-antisemitism but if the Communist Antisemite Jihadists can pull this one off, Go Communist Antisemite Jihadists, Go!

Democrat Senator Rueben Gallego, who served his wife with divorce papers when she was nine months pregnant so that he could marry his side-piece, counsels us that we should not judge Graham Platner for his infidelity because these things are personal matters, Racists:

Sahil Kapur
@sahilkapur

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Platner: "We know that Graham has lived not your typical political experience. He's been very clear and open with his wife, and they worked through whatever they worked through. At the end of the day, this man has had 60 more town halls than Susan Collins has. He's winning the polls, he's willing to accept that he has grown as a person, and I think we should accept that."

Gallego says the drip-drip of revelations won't harm Platner's campaign.

"I think you guys are all in a bubble here right now. The drip, drip that's actually happening is Americans are really, really hurt the fact that gas is still high, food is still high, they can't buy a home, you can't afford rent. They're not going to care about text messages and everything else like that that happened years ago, especially when it was worked out between spouses."

I like that he says that it's okay that Graham Platner sexted 12 different women within months of marrying the woman to sponge off her because he wasn't then "living a political life" -- the clear meaning being, "We all cheat, we just don't cheat when we're running for office, and he didn't know he was running for office when he was sending dicpics to half the women he ran into."
Except he was running: His own wife turned the sexts over to his campaign.
And obviously Reuben Gallego didn't let his "political life" get in the way of his extramarital dating life: