IRAQ ELECTIONS: A PYRRHIC VICTORY?

You may have been reading in the papers and watching on TV news about the elections in Iraq and declaring VICTORY as if a goal has been achieved.

I will admit that the fact that an election took place is remarkable. The fact that people actually voted (60 %+) despite the bombings and killing is remarkable. The Sunnis did not boycott the election as predicted which was good; maybe they realized that the Shiites were going to take over no matter what so better to participate and get at least something other than nothing.

I know I adamantly posited that democracy is impossible in a land where the people are divided into three distinct groups even if all are Muslim. Even if the Sunni and the Shiites decide to share power for awhile, the Kurds will not unless a miracle happens or a miracle leader emerges that can join all parties.

The reason I am skeptical about a united Iraq is also because of the role that IRAN is playing in Iraq. Unless the people of Iran overthrow the clerical dictators that run the theocracy that is Iran and behave like normal, peace loving people (who they really are), I will remain skeptical.

As to calling the Iraq elections a VICTORY; have you ever heard of the term PYRRHIC VICTORY? It was a battle (280 BC) fought between King Pyrrhus of Epirus (Greece) and the Romans. Yes, he won but at such a high cost that he lost the war (Another victory like this and I may go home alone since all my soldiers will be dead).

Bush and Chaney should never have invaded Iraq. We lost 4,000+ American lives and countless BILLIONS of dollars and thousands of Iraqi lives and for what? More importantly, because Bush and Chaney decided to pull out of Afghanistan and concentrate on Iraq, we are now loosing more lives in Afghanistan because Bush and Chaney allowed al-Qaeda to regroup and get stronger (10 years now).

I will admit that if by some miracle, democracy takes hold in Iraq and sets an example for the rest of the Middle East to follow (separate state from religion), then that will be a very good thing but that is only a very slim possibility and one has to ask if the invasion of Iraq was worth it; the answer has to be and remain NO – it was a blunder of monumental proportions and Dick Chaney needs to have his balls cut off.