Some experts fear election's aftermath

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

LONDON - (KRT) - Election day offered Iraqis a chance to take stock of how far they've come in the 21 months since Saddam Hussein's dictatorship fell and yet be sobered by the amount of work still needed to heal their nation's wounds.

"This election is potentially the most significant step to date on the road back to liberation, sovereignty and normalcy for Iraqis," columnist Rami Khouri wrote in Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper, calling the election a potential "tipping point" where "Iraq starts moving toward credible, normal statehood."

In spite of a celebratory mood among many Iraqis, Arab academics warned that the coming weeks could bring renewed dangers and little cause for long-term optimism. The rifts between Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority and Sunni minority are likely to deepen, especially if the vote favors sectarian Shiite parties allied with the country's pro-Iran clerics.

In addition, the heavy security that helped keep the death toll low on election day was due to end Monday, and the lifting of curfews and travel restrictions means insurgents can circulate more freely again. A return of the heavy bloodshed that preceded the election seems probable, analysts said.

story: http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/world/10775183.htm

[notadmblnd]

1. From listening to the news

I get the impression this is nothing but a stage play put on to convince the american people that * was right. I heard one media whore say today that none of this would have been possible without bush. All I could hollar back at the tv was your aboslutely right, 1400+ americans would be alive 10,0000 would not have been injured and tens of thousands of Iraqis would still be alive if not for bush.

[bluestateguy]

3. Today was a day to throw a bone...

to the "Why can't the media tell us about all the good things we're doing in Iraq?" crowd. There is a market for that kind of news and the media, most especially FOX, has to cater to it as a matter of business necessity.

As whorish as the media is, it's getting harder and harder for the non FOX media to cover up the fact that the war is not going well. Brian Williams' NBC newscasts makes this fact clear, yet the NBC newscasts still operate on an assumption that the Iraq war was a just war, even if it is not going so well.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. I spose they are waiting for the DUH award.... EOM

[Ms. Clio]

4. I read that up to 44 people died today

and that's considered a "low" death toll???

[teryang]

5. The guarded disclosures on UK C-130 crash are suspect

...as well.

[jmcgowanjm]

9. The only RAF C130s known to operate north of Baghdad

are the "special duties" aircraft of 47 Sqn based at Lyneham.

A "special duties" aircraft would normally carry a crew of
five
or six. It could carry up to 128 passengers but in a special
forces role, a maximum of 70 is more
likely.

President George W Bush added his own tribute, saying:
"We also mourn the American and British military
personnel who lost their lives
today."

That appeared to suggest that there could have been US
special forces on board the aircraft as well. The SAS operates
in northern Iraq alongside its American
counterparts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/31/wcrash31.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/01/31/ixhome.html

What's so important that it has to be flown instead of
driven.
it is more likely that it was a troop carrying mission - a
mission with a plane that normaly transports up to 128
troops. The plane was loaded with some british SAS
special forces as well as some 20 -45 US soldiers
and ammunition. It was refuelled in Baghdad and had the
order to deliver some troops and equipment from Baghdad
to Balad and to fly direcly back to basra then. The Sa-7/18
hit
the aircraft in the air - blowing up its fuel tank. The
plane explodes partly in the air and came down in pieces !
Killed where some 20 british personall as well as some 40-
50 americans. Since having lost some 31 troops only 4
days ago, the us military does not what us to known
anything about there newly high losses, especially not since
the election euphory propaganda, trys to implant to the
world how well everything goes in iraq. Also Tony Blair
isn t interested in bad news, but he takes "the black jack" for
the americans, for he and his forces haven t had to take
such remarkeble losses for a long period, whereas
the americans had to.

Any way the Resistance did this. And they can do it
again.

[dbt]

6. Once again, a report from BRITISH sources!

All the Murkin Whore Media will show us is shiny, happy people going to vote.

:freak:
dbt

[Massachusetts]

7. The media

Most televised, printed news and comment have been irresponsible with the statistics, facts, chronology and affect of events. Nothing new.

"The revolution will not be televised".

[catmandu57]

8. One more time, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Did the monkey man* have his dictator suit on yesterday? The one complete with codpiece?

[complain jane]

10. What are the surrounding countries going to do?

Seriously, one more question in my never-ending stream of uninformed questions and comments (I'm learning dammit)...

What's everyone think the surrounding Arab nations are going to do in reaction to this? Knowing they're probably somewhere on the liberation list in PNAC's crosshairs?