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Still enjoying politics

By Phil Barron ⋅ December 24, 2005 ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ Post a comment

The quote that keeps on giving:

U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice, September 13, 2005:

I think that the most interesting thing to me about Iraq is that politics has broken out in Iraq in a really major way. And the Iraqis seem to enjoy politics.

Patrick Quinn, AP, December 23, 2005:

Iraq’s leading Shiite religious bloc said Friday it is ready to discuss Sunni Arab participation in a coalition government, while thousands of Sunnis and some secular Shiites demonstrated in the streets claiming election fraud.

Reacting to growing protests over the Dec. 15 ballot for a new parliament, Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari urged Iraqis to have faith in the electoral process. He made the call after meeting with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who announced the first of a possible series of U.S. combat troop reductions next year. [...]

About 20,000 people took part in a mass demonstration organized by 35 Sunni Arab and secular Shiite political parties after Friday prayers.

Many people outside the governing Shiite religious-oriented political bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance, allege last week’s elections were unfair to Sunni Arab and secular Shiite groups.

“We refuse the cheating and forgery in the elections,” read one banner at the protest in southern Baghdad.

Yes. The sense of enjoyment is palpable.

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