The fact that elections had taken place with minimal casualties is a step in the right direction. I heard a report of 35 deaths...whether or not those figures are true remain to be seen. In my opinion, these elections deliver a blow to insurgents and foreign fighters (aka terrorists)....in a sense, they lose...the democratic process will continue to press on and further alienate these thugs and mass murderers....obviously, there is still a long way to go to secure freedom and safety for the Iraqi people. I realize that many of you on this board are against the war, but can't we all agree that the elections are a good thing? It's obvious that this is what the majority of the Iraqi people wanted....

Question is: will violence erupt after the elections? I don't believe for a minute the insurgents will settle for this: I bet they're gonna keep stalling the whole process really. And the problem is, I think they will succeed in overthrowing the new gvt. if there's no stong police/armed force to protect the civilians and politicians...

Re: Iraqi election a success...for now...

[quote=gokada]I realize that many of you on this board are against the war, but can't we all agree that the elections are a good thing? [/quote]

agree 100%. I disagree with most of how we got here, and I'm not ready to say that "the end justifies the means" -- I'm not prepared to give my government carte blanche to be dishonest as long as there is a good result at the end because I think that sets a dangerous precendent -- but this is obviously a good thing.