Countless Iraqis had to wait hours to vote; claim disenfranchisement

Not. But the New York Times took the liberty of suggesting it on behalf of the Sunnis:

Participation varied by region, and the impressive national percentages should not obscure the fact that the country's large Sunni Arab minority remained broadly disenfranchised - due to alienation or terror or both.

Terror, for sure, kept people away. But if the Sunnis are feeling any alienation, it's because (a) they had thrown their lot in with Saddam and his gang; (b) they have been most supportive of the imported rent-a-thugs; (c) their religious leaders continue to fan hatred of and suspicion toward Shiites, Kurds and other people groups in the country. Disenfranchisement properly defined is the suppression of the vote through the direct action of or negligence by the government. That ain't happening in Iraq (just as it didn't happen in the U.S., but that didn't keep the Left from waving the accusation as a bloody shirt ad nauseam). The government did everything it could (short of simply handing over power) to encourage participation by all factions.


In truth, what we saw Sunday was the people of Iraq (even a sizable percentage of the Sunnis) collectively giving the terrorists and other naysayers the finger.







(I thought I was being exceedingly clever and original with that "finger" quip, but it turns out that only a billion or so people had already thought of it [For example, here. Or here.]. Oh, well.)