Iraq, Elections, the Usual News, and Kids With Inky Fingers

An election happened in Iraq, in early 2009. You've read about the violence: traditional news services have seen to that with their usual efficiency.

This, you may not have read about:

"Defying instructions by the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) not to take children to the voting centers, some of the young ones went, but only to color their fingers with the indelible voting ink in imitation of their elders.

" 'My five-year-old protested staying at home and insisted on coming with us to the ballot centers, not giving much interest to other kids’ plans to play football in the streets that were empty of cars due to the traffic ban,' Umm Ahmed, a local resident of the New Baghdad area, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

"Voting centers in Baghdad and other 13 provinces started at 07:00 a.m. Baghdad local time to receive eligible voters who are electing their candidates to occupy all 440 seats in local councils amidst blanket security measures.

"Umm Ahmed pointed out that her son colored his fingers with the voting ink to pompously boast among his peers that he was the only kid in the family who was allowed to cast his vote...."
(Aswat al Iraq, English language edition)

Offhand, I'd say we won: particularly if the leaders that Iraqis vote in tell American/coalition forces to leave their country.

My guess is that they're no more foolish than another selection of humanity - and whatever they say, they won't do anything unless they're sure they can hold their country together without outside help. If Iraq's new leaders tell the foreigners to go home, I figure that means they've got situations well in hand.

And if it turns out they're wrong, we'll still be here.

Related posts:

• "Wouldn't It be Nice, if Nobody Ever Questioned Election Results?"
  (February 8, 2010)
• "Afghan Election: A Few Observations"
  (August 20, 2009)
• "Good News from Iraq: Voter Fraud and Verbal Attacks on American Leaders"
  (February 15, 2009)
• "Iraq Elections Okay, Civilian Deaths Down: Whaddaya Know? Good News"
  (January 31, 2009)
• "A Xenophobic Remark by a Gun-Toting Religious Small Town Person"
  (April 12, 2008)

In the news:

• "Baghdad’s children dip their fingers in voting ink"
  Aswat al Iraq (January 31, 2009)

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A tip of the hat to mstoneman, on Twitter, for the heads-up on Iraqi kids with inky fingers.