And Now a Critical Moment: The Press Sizes Up the Iraqi Election

[struggle4progress]

By Greg Mitchell
Published: January 30, 2005 10:30 AM ET

<snip> But more complicated questions may emerge as the day goes on. What does "high turnout" mean? It is a percentage of all eligible voters or just those who registered? Do the vast disparities suggest a coming civil war? Did the insurgency suffer a death blow in failing to severely disrupt the process? And what are the results of the voting likely to show: a broadly representative government or one that may take Iraq in a direction troublesome for the U.S.? <snip>

Mariam Fam in the Chicago Tribune noted that "polls were largely deserted throughout the day in many cities of the Sunni Triangle north and west of the capital, particularly Fallujah, Ramadi and Beiji. In Baghdad's mainly Sunni Arab area of Azamiyah, the neighborhood's four polling centers did not open at all, residents said. In Samarra, north of Baghdad, stations were empty for hours, but later hundreds of people showed up. <snip>

"At one polling place in southeast Mosul, for example, the only voters by late in the day were 15 Iraqi security forces assigned to keep the peace."

http://199.249.170.220/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000780113

[fasttense]

1. The free press will say......

Whatever the Repugs want them to say. And what do they want? Iraqi oil, Iraqi oil, Iraqi oil.

[LibertyorDeath]

2. High turnout LOL

man they lay the BS on thick why not if your gonna lie

Lie Big.

Complete BS

High turnout, do they have UN observers on the ground to verify this?

That's what I thought.

more Lies from the most Corrupt Administration in American History brought to you by the Bought & Payed for Whore Media.

[whometense]

3. The story on NPR

this morning was rosy and upbeat. Not so much from Brian Williams reporting on Meet The Press this morning, to my great surprise.

[acmejack]

4. A different perspective on the elections

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/674D4BC3-BDA3-41AF-9D40-B80D79F812F9.htm

[struggle4progress]

5. Thanks!

"... Polling stations in several towns in Iraq have not opened five hours after nationwide voting started on Sunday, the country's electoral commission said. 'In Latifiya, Mahmudiya and Yusufiya, polling stations have not yet opened their doors,' commission spokesman Farid Ayar told reporters ..."

That seems to be consistent with what other sources indicated.