Iraqi Elections

The first free Iraqi elections in several decades are only a few weeks away. Already we are being warned that the insurgency will make it impossible to hold elections in a few regions of Iraq. This has prompted some to say that we are losing the war in Iraq.

Let’s face facts here.

First, it is not unusual for some parts of a country to be left out of elections in extreme circumstances. For example, in 1864 we held an election for President even though half the country was in rebellion. Obviously, there were no polls open in the South. But, the election went on. Lincoln’s election was not illegitimate just because the South did not get an opportunity to vote. Our nation, like all democracies, is founded on the principle of elections. Elections cannot be suspended for any reason. Doing so will undermine the strength of a democratic government. Democracy must march on.

Second, just having an election in Iraq is a huge victory. This is something that could only be dreamed about just three years ago. The fact that some Iraqi provinces won’t be participating in the election is not a sign that the United States and their allies are losing the war. Rather, holding any election in Iraq is a sign of our tremendous victory. A legitimately elected Iraqi government, I think, is the next to the last step to getting our troops out of Iraq. The last step would be helping that government stand on its own two feet with a military strong enough to defend it from foreign and domestic enemies.

So, the United States are not losing the war in Iraq. We will have elections in Iraq and that country will become a beacon of liberty and democracy for a region that has lived in the oppressive darkness of tyranny for far too long.

–J.E. Heath
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