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October 15, 2005
Election
Well the report from my station overlooking most of Baghdad is a good one. There have been a lot fewer explosions heard in the city than on a normal day. In fact, I heard zero - not to mean that there weren't any, just that there probably weren't any particularly large ones.
This is mostly due to the traffic lockdown which started yesterday and ends sometime tomorrow. A very smart move, in my opinion. The VBIEDs (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) are the favorite weapon of the jihadis right now and since anything not authorized to travel on the roads is being stopped, they are not able to get to their intended destinations. The lockdown was widely publicized as well, so maybe strikes of this kind just weren't planned.
I, for one, think that pass or fail, this election is a proof of the viability of Iraqi democracy. If the referendum passes, then obviously the process worked. If it fails, however, the process still works because the people will have spoken. The delegates will need to re-assemble and come up with a new draft that most Iraqis will accept. Pure democracy in action. Unfortunately, that won't be the spin in the case of a "no" vote: it will all be about Bush's "failure".
Posted by TJ at October 15, 2005 05:15 PM
Comments
Nice site, TJ. I'll be checking in again; it's always good to get a firsthand source. Stay safe, keep blogging, and I'll let you know if I reference you (like today), since I don't see that your blog has trackbacks.
Oh, and 100% agreed about the viability of Iraqi democracy. It drives me nuts when people (usually religious conservatives of all stripes) say that Muslim states are somehow unable to be democratic.
Posted by: Wulf at October 15, 2005 07:12 PM
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