The sight of Iraqis defying terrorists to cast their votes was so inspiring that critics really had to strain to be critical. But they tried.
Here’s the best French President Chirac (search) could come up with: “The participation rate and the good technical organization of the elections were satisfactory.” The Guardian (search) newspaper also tried to belittle the powerful images of yesterday, saying today: “In many respects it is difficult to be confident that this was a free or fair election…The fruits of democracy have yet to be tasted in Iraq.”
Al-Jazeera (search), which was banned from Iraq because of its cozy relationship with terrorists there, was the most negative. Relying on a journalist in Baghdad, Al-Jazeera reported to the world that: “Most citizens interviewed…said the elections reflected nothing but the will of the United States and was for its own interests.”
But not all foreigners turn up their noses at celebrations of freedom. Here’s the London Telegraph (search): “Yesterday, Iraq became the most democratic country in the Arab world. What a pity that so many writers who, in other circumstances, are optimists about human progress, should shut their eyes to what is happening. In their determination to say ‘I told you so,’ they are coming perilously close to siding with Jihadi murderers. Shame on them.”
And that’s the Asman Observer.
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