35 Die Voting, Millions Call It A Beautiful Day In Iraqi History

You can now ex-hale my fellow patriots! Iraq has had their election and just like after the last US federal election everybody is happy. All this time we were worrying about insurgence and the task of actually running a government in a war torn country. But shit, they had an election. And despite bombings and deaths today at the polling stations alone clearly this is a water-shed event? Why? Because they voted! Voting man that is like what America is all about.

The media coverage is, as per usual, painting a simplistic and sunny picture of what is actually an ever complex and dangerous situation in that country. There has been little mention as to how Sunnis see the vote as rushed and unfair. Largely it's the Shiites attending the polling stations hamming for the cameras with their fingers and smiles. While a majority may rule an election a minority still has it's place in the civic discourse. This is but one distinction in the country that poses a problem. And one might go as far as to say that it took a dictator to unite Iraq in the past. With that singular, albeit unfair, control over the acrimony what do you have left?

Only time will tell but despite my heartstrings being pulled along with everyone else's today my money isn't on the unicorns and rainbows just yet.