My greatest fear for Sunday

[Walt Starr]

This is it:

Thousands of suicide bombers hit the Iraqi polling places. Since there are no Iraqi officials in Baghdad, this will mean dozens of American casualties.

If they have been registering and go in with suicide bomber tactics, it could not only make a farce of the entire election process, it could well be the bloodiest day in Iraqi history.

[DrWeird]

1. I don't think it will happen.

Since the Iraqis know the election is a farce. They're in it for the long run.

[Carla in Ca]

2. I hope you are wrong, Walt

but I fear you are not. Heaven help us all.

[Walt Starr]

3. Goddess knows I certainly hope my fears are unfounded

I'll be pretty anxious when I awaken Sunday morning.

[Donailin]

5. Heaven forgive us all

Heaven help the innocent civilians of Iraq who are victims caught in the crossfire between us and the rebel forces.

[knight_of_the_star]

6. I do too

But I fear you may be right

[roguevalley]

4. They've had months to prepare. I imagine there are bombs buried

all over the city. The guy who commands Baghdad said there is no safe place for US people in the entire city.

[theboss]

7. I have no doubt there will be violence

I find the idea of "thousands" of suicide bombers a little far-fetched. And frankly, a little self-defeating.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

8. And if and when it happens.........

........freepers everywhere will condemn you and the rest of us for "wishing and hoping" it to happen.

[alittlelark]

9. I've been assuming that to be the case

I think many Iraqis believe the same.

[rocktivity]

10. I don't think it will be quite that drastic

I predict an embarassingly low voter turnout which will be out of contempt for President Mightymouse as much as fear of any insurgency. Indeed, the line between the citizenship and the insurgency is getting increasly blurred.

:headbang:
rocknation

[jmcgowanjm]

11. Let me describe the scene on the ground here in “liberated” Iraq.

With the “elections” just three days away, people are
terrified. Families are fleeing Baghdad much as they did prior
to the invasion of the country. Seeking refuge from what
everyone fears to be a massive onslaught of violence in
the capital city, huge lines of cars are stacked up at
checkpoints on the outer edges of the
city.

Policemen and Iraqi soldiers are trying to convince people
to stay in the city and vote.

Nobody is listening to them.

Whereas Baghdad is filled with Fallujah refugees, now
villages and smaller cities on the outskirts of Baghdad are
filling up with election
refugees.

http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/archives/dispatches/000186.php

Iraqi Resistance command announces start of
“decisive operations,” orders all fighters on leave back to
their units within three hours.

In a dispatch posted at 7:30pm Wednesday, Mafkarat al-
Islam reported that the General Command of the Iraqi
Islamic Resistance issued a communiqué a short while
before that was broadcast from loudspeakers on mosques
in Samarra’, ar-Ramadi, Mosul, Tikrit, Bayji, Kirkuk, Hit,
Hadithah, ar-Rutbah, al-Qa’im, Hasibah, and Ba‘qubha;
and which was issued as a written leaflet distributed
in mosques in Baghdad, ad-Durah, al-Bayya‘, al-
A‘zamiyah, al-Latifiyah, al-Mansur, al-‘Amiriyah al-
Gharbiyah, al-Basrah, as-Samawah, al-Kut, as-Suwayrah and
a number of other cities of south, central, and northern
Iraq.

In the communiqué the General Command of the Iraqi
Islamic Resistance proclaimed the beginning of clearly
decisive operations against what it called “the infidel
occupiers.” The communiqué called the new offensive:
the Operations of the Children of Muhammad the Messenger
of God to Break the Back of God’s
Enemies.

The communiqué said: “We have prepared
weapons, ammunition and men sufficient to shake the
earth under the feet of the occupiers.

IRR012605

[Career Prole]

12. C'mon Walt...be optimistic like the general on CNN this morning!

Got your rose-colored glasses on? Check this quote from Brigadier General Jeff Hammond...

HAMMOND: Well, I stand by that statement. My focus right now, as you and I are looking at each other and talking, is Baghdad and the elections on the 30th. That's where our focus is. We're working this thing 24 hours. We're not letting go of this thing.

And I'm telling you, there's four million people registered to vote here in Baghdad, and these people clearly know -- they might not know clearly what they're voting about or who for, but they know it's something to do with democracy and the next step forward.

I eagerly anticipate the 30th for I believe that a majority of these folks will step forward as brave individuals and express their desire for a new and a long-term future here in Iraq.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0501/27/ltm.02.html

Now if that doesn't pump up your confidence in the process, I don't know what else to say! :eyes:

[jmcgowanjm]

13. The Battle of Baghdad begins

New York Times

Starkly put, Baghdad is not under control, either by the
Iraqi interim government or the American military.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/international/middleeast/27baghdad.html

"Fighting in a city is probably the most complex environment
for military operations. It has been compared to a knife-fight in
a telephone booth. Casualties in the average rifle company
can run as high as 30%." -- General William Kernan, head of
the U.S. joint forces command

The government may declare victory in wars started in
foreign lands, but for the people who live in small towns in
this land the results are barely distinguishable from defeat.
Lives are lost, families destroyed, futures shattered,
hopes destroyed; all this is the price paid by the people for
the "foreign entanglements" we were long ago warned to
avoid. The real price of war is paid not just by those who died
in it, but by those who are left behind who bury their dead
and pay the bills.

And now it may happen again. Having bred a new generation
of soldiers far too young to know what their service in war
costs their own families, the present administration is trying
to start a war of conquest, to barter the surplus population
of "useless eaters" for even more wealth and
power.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/majestic.html

Troops, do whatever you have to, but don't go to that base,
don't get on that plane, don't get on that ship.
Stay here in America and live.

[Rapcw]

14. Sundays gunna be a blast! n/t

[signmike]

15. I don't understand...

what could possibly be the reason to make these people go to a polling place to vote -- why not use absentee ballots? U.S. soldiers are handing out flyers door to door urging them to show up to vote -- why not have them collect a ballot whilst they are going door to door?

Stoopit question, I know, because the whole thing is a sham, but CRIMINY! I expect a bloodbath, and the "election" is as done a deal as Bush's "re-election" here.

[Walt Starr]

17. There are no provisions for absentee ballots

Show up or don't vote are your choices.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. Who wants to start a pool?

How many days will the Americans last after election day, before they have to evacuate the green zone?