The Iraqi Elections: Same Song, Second Verse?

Posted on February 1, 2005

Think there are similarities between Vietnam and Iraq? Watching the Watchers provides a fascinating comparison between the rah-rah reporting about the 1967 historic first free elections in Vietnam and the coverage of Sunday's Iraqi elections.

The New York Times reported: "September 4, 1967. United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of....registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong."

Wow, that's amazing. It's happening all over again. First the Vietnamese got to vote in a free election, were happy for a few weeks then went on to form a democratic government.

What's that you say? Then came the Tet Offensive, huge casualties, an American pullout, the revelation that the election was a big fake, followed by the entire country embracing communism? Clearly, you must be a freedom-hater to say such a thing.