Well while almost everyone else in the world, except pockets of bitter bitter liberals, is celebrating the resounding success that was the Iraqi elections. (Some sources report 72% turnout) The guys over at Daily Kos are trying to turn it in to a disaster for their own political purposes, just if you were wondering if they have any souls, they don’t.

The Iraq Election: Defining Success
by Armando
Sun Jan 30th, 2005 at 08:23:02 PST

Is the Iraq Election a success? The early reporting is that there is good turnout among the Shia and Kurds. Does this qualify as success?:

Iraqis voted in their first democratic election in nearly half a century Sunday with many observers saying the day appeared to have yielded higher turnout than expected and less violence than feared. Insurgents killed about two dozen people, including a U.S. Marine. But the level of mayhem by forces striving to disrupt the process was less than predicted, especially in Baghdad where turnout surged during the day amid signs of enthusiasm for voting even in some Sunni areas.

Success?

As expected, turnout appeared to be very uneven around the country, with the majority Shiite community and Kurdish areas participating in the election to a much greater degree than the minority Sunnis. Voting continued in early evening in some places even after polls officially were to have closed. Carlos Valenzuela, the United Nations’ chief election adviser in Iraq, told CNN that he believed that overall turnout was considerably “better than expected.” That assessment was echoed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said, “Every indication is that the election in Iraq is going better than expected.” Rice conceded, however, speaking on ABC’s “This Week, that “it’s not a perfect election” and added, “there are going to be many, many difficult days ahead.”

The days ahead. Precisely. This Election is simply, in my estimation, an exercise in pretty pictures. Why? Because Elections are to choose governments, not to celebrate the day. Are the people elected capable of governing Iraq at this time? Without 150,000 U.S. soldiers? Or even with them? I have been accused of gloating by people right HERE because of my focus on the continuing violence. But my focus has been on the realities of governing a land in chaos, in the midst of civil war, with 150,000 U.S. soldiers the only force with the ability to provide security. And this is 2 years after the invasion.

I hope I’m wrong on this. I think I am not.

Godspeed for the Iraqis, and God’s mercy for the fools at Daily Kos.

Carthago Delenda Est!

Last night at a dinner, State Rep. Diven (R-Pittsburgh) announced he was leaving the Democratic Party to join the Republicans. Both the Post-Gazette and the Tribune Review covered the story in depth. This is a story I’ve been covering as it develops, but Rep. Diven has now officially joined the Republican Party giving it, the first seat it has had in the city of Pittsburgh in several decades and the GOPs first chance to win a State Senate seat in the district in recent memory. Hooray!

Carthago Delenda Est!

Let us all offer prayers and well wishings for the people of Iraq as they are now voting. Roger L. Simon did some liveblogging on it worth following.
Click on more for some more pics…

Click to continue »

Well it looks like the school choice is about to get a little more interesting. According to a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, several Atlanta residents are suing the state saying that the inequity in the state education plan is inherently unfair and unconstitutional. But they are offering not more money for inner-city schools as a solution, but rather vouchers, an expansion of the charter school program, and the right to send a child to any public school.

“If they prevail, this would eclipse Brown v. Board,” the landmark desegregation case, said Herbert Walberg, an education and psychology professor who is now a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. “It’s more sweeping than Brown. That’s why I think this is such an extraordinary case.”

Walberg, who has agreed to testify on behalf of the Atlanta parents, says his research shows children benefit from greater educational options.

Now, I do not favor this type of approach because I think this is so clearly a legislative issue as opposed to a judicial one, but it will be interesting to watch nonetheless.