By:Jerry Burke
Then I hit 25. At that point it seemed the boys weren't spending Mommy's and Daddy's dime anymore, so now Friday is usually a quiet respite, followed shortly thereafter by my passing out on the couch around midnight. I'll wake up Saturday morning, maybe do my chores and call one of my lady friends. But they can't go out, because now they're all married and stuff. That and the fact that my girlfriend would be more than a little teed off at the prospect. So these days I pass out on the couch, wake up on Sunday morning, buy a paper and begin fretting about the week ahead.
Ah, progress.
Last weekend, however, was a little strange for me. No, not Angelina-Jolie-shows-up-on-my-front-porch-dressed-like-a-French-maid strange. More of a how-should-I-feel-about-this? sort of strange.
Unlike the first weekend in November, when my circle of friends and I were curled up in the fetal position, shaking like we had just been kicked in the groin, this was a little more uncertain. Iraq's first actual democratic vote in a lifetime took place Sunday. Citizens were asked to choose from among 111 parties, coalitions or individuals, most of whose names weren't made public until, oh, last weekend, those who they felt would best represent them in the 275-seat National Assembly.
Now, for the record, I've been a firm passenger aboard the "bad idea" bandwagon since 2002. I didn't believe the wafer-thin WMD evidence, wasn't buying the Al Qaeda-and-Saddam crud and remembered distinctly when Dubya cried, "He tried to kill my dad!" So, no, I don't believe we should be there. I cringe with every casualty report on either side, scream whenever the price of war rises, and gag whenever I think about those torture photos. Bad moves all around, methinks.
So when I saw images of hundreds of brave Iraqis defying terrorist threats and dipping their fingers into the purple dye of freedom, I'll be the first to admit it: I smiled.
No, this doesn't mean I'm flip-flopping. But in the first opportunity the people of Iraq have had to take center stage in regard to self-determination, they were stunning. I think even Bush was surprised. You could tell by his choice of tie.
Now the caveats. The results aren't in yet. The final numbers won't be known until sometime next week. A good portion of the Sunni minority boycotted the vote. Voter turnout for Iraqi citizens living in the U.S. was rather disappointing (God Bless America!). And exit polls were showing that the "Thanks, America. Now go home" vote was rather strong. And we've still got miles to go before we evacuate.
But naturally, cable news had to go and ruin the moment for me. Blah, blah: The policy worked. Blah, blah, blah: What's done is done. Blah, blah: Get over it.
Well, as much as hard-core righties who think any questioning of the war is tantamount to treason accuse the anti-war movement of not supporting the troops (I ask you, what better way is there to support them than by bring them home?), I ignore the taunts and the arrogance. I didn't see Rush Limbaugh over there armed with an M4 protecting polling places.
All Americans should be proud of both the troops and the Iraqi people. They have outdone themselves, and if democracy can indeed survive on the most hostile of soils, then you can put up your little "Mission Accomplished" banners and I, for once, will remain silent. For about five seconds. Man, I'm bitter.
