Power Line: Iraqis Eagerly Await Election

Power Line: Iraqis Eagerly Await Election: "Iraqis Eagerly Await Election



Last night, the Trunk and I (authors of the Powerline Blog) taped a television show. We waited for the taping to start in a green room that included a couple of liberals who derided the 'disaster' in Iraq and sneered at next month's elections. Why? Beats me. Arabs are about to vote in an election, I believe, for the first time in world history (except in Israel, of course). Why isn't that worth celebrating?



Haider Ajani has translated the results of a poll of 5,000 Iraqis, taken in and around Baghdad, that appeared yesterday in the Arabic newspaper Alsabah:



What will you base your vote on?



Political agenda----------------------------65%

Factional origin----------------------------14%

Party Affiliation---------------------------- 4%

National Background----------------------12%

Other reasons--------------------------------5%



Do you support dialog with the deposed Baathists?



Yes-------------------------------------------15%

No--------------------------------------------84%

Do not know----------------------------------1%



Do you support the postponing the election?



Yes-------------------------------------------18%

No--------------------------------------------80%

Do not know---------------------------------2%



Do you think the elections will take place as scheduled?



Yes-------------------------------------------83%

No--------------------------------------------13%

Do not know---------------------------------4%



As we've said before, the only people who want the elections postponed are the ones who want them never to take place. The vast majority of Iraqis can't wait to begin exercising their privileges as free citizens. And it's good to see that an overwhelming majority expect the U.S. to stand by its commitment to January elections, rather than giving in to the terrorists and Democrats. They have learned, I guess, that President Bush is a man who says what he means and means what he says. As, thankfully, have we."