Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 01/26/05 11:38 am:
Tom,

Yeah, I read Podhoretz this morning too. Good article. And he makes a good point.

Elliot

Clarification/Follow-up by powderpuff on 01/29/05 8:02 am:
AP
Iraqi President: Most People Won't Vote

1 minute ago

Middle East - AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq (news - web sites)'s president predicted Saturday that most of his country's people will not go to the polls for a historic election Sunday, mostly because of security fears.

"We hope everyone will participate," President Ghazi al-Yawer said at a news conference the day before the vote. "But the majority prefer not to participate for fear of going out to polling stations."

He said a minority of people would not vote because they were boycotting the vote for political reasons. But he predicted most of those who stay away would do so because of their fears of attacks.

Overall, al-Yawer predicted that a majority of the country's eligible voters would not show up at the polls.

Clarification/Follow-up by powderpuff on 01/29/05 10:20 am:
Hi Chou,


Chicago Tribune

Nation in near-lockdown as election work hastens

Now I just read another article in the news that said in some places they are expecting near 100% turnout. With a higher percent in the south and a lower percent in the north (I think).. Anyway, we will know soon enough if it the election will go well with a large turnout or not.

" The director of the provincial election commission, Asaad Ramadan, said officials were expecting turnout as high as 100 percent in some areas but less in northern reaches of the largely rural province because of "the existence of some terrorists in that area."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=
story&cid=2027&e=10&u=/chitribts/20050129/
ts_chicagotrib/nationinnearlockdownas
electionworkhastens

Clarification/Follow-up by powderpuff on 01/29/05 10:27 am:
oops, don't think that link will work... oh well, I tried :|