Iraqracy

Count this image among those for which you do not want to be operating heavy machinery while seeing for the first time.

Iraq took another huge step towards becoming a fully functioning and independent democracy on Sunday as Iraqis braved 100 bomb blasts and went to the polls to choose a new parliament.

As Iraq tallied the votes from Sunday’s nationwide elections to choose a new Parliament, the top American military commander in Iraq on Monday praised the Iraqi military’s performance during the vote and said the United States would proceed with plans to withdraw troops from the country.

“I think we’re on track,” the commander, Gen. Ray Odierno, said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “I believe the Iraqi security forces are on track to assume more and more control.”

Iraqis defied a barrage of mortars, rockets and other bombs to show up to the polls in strength on Sunday, in elections that have been seen as a critical test of Iraq’s stability and a last milestone before American troops leave the country.

A huge dose of “We told you so”, perhaps? Hardly. We don’t necessarily see this as vindication but rather the hopeful culmination of the efforts and sacrifices of our men and women in the armed forces who, against steep odds, shut down the naysayers and forged a democracy smack dab in the middle of the Middle East.

Dishing out plates of crow disrespects the honor and valor displayed by our soldiers, sailors and Marines and we believe President Bush would wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.

As for those naysayers, we’ve said time and time again that reasonable people could disagree on going to war there in the first place and reasonable people could disagree over the strategy to win the peace (a strategy that nearly did derail the entire enterprise) but what we will never understand nor will we ever forgive is the denigrating statements and the disparaging remarks that were made only to score cheap political points.

Harry Reid, Jack Murtha, Dick Durbin, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy…. we’re looking at you!

We have a number of friends who were/are adamantly opposed to the war but still took active roles in troop support efforts such as the Play-doh offensive that was sponsored right here at BwD. We’ll never understand how it is some of our elected leaders could not display the same dignity, compassion and patriotism exhibited by these everyday ordinary Americans.