I seldom comment on the things being covered by Mohammed and Omar because everyone else either points to a story there or quotes them. Blogospheric celebrities. But I couldn’t pass up this observation:
The first thing we saw this morning on our way to the voting center was a convoy of the Iraqi army vehicles patrolling the street, the soldiers were cheering the people marching towards their voting centers then one of the soldiers chanted “vote for Allawi” less than a hundred meters, the convoy stopped and the captain in charge yelled at the soldier who did that and said:
“You’re a member of the military institution and you have absolutely no right to support any political entity or interfere with the people’s choice. This is Iraq’s army, not Allawi’s”.
That is a very significant thing. Most Americans don’t grasp how different the US military is from so many others around the world. And this mentality has apparently been transferred in the training of Iraq’s new army. That is extremely important, especially in a region of the world where the military has always served more as a personal bodyguard to a despot.
Keep in mind that our military swears an oath to defend the Constitution, not to an individual or group. We don’t march in the streets with photographs of politicians (well, socialists in the US still do). We carry flags. The flag is our icon, not some politician.
There are some who feel displaying a flag is somehow jingoistic.
Consider the alternative.
****UPDATE****
Scott Ott has the proper MSM coverage:
News reports of terrorist bombings in Iraq were marred Sunday by shocking graphic images of Iraqi “insurgents” voting by the millions in their first free democratic election.
How very true…..thanks for that perspective!
Comment by Wallace-Midland, Texas — January 30, 2005 @ 11:12 am
I loved Ali’s [Mohammed & Omar’s brother] telling of his experience at Free Iraqi. Brought the tears, so take a tissue.
Comment by DagneyT — January 30, 2005 @ 5:07 pm
that was a great thing to read in the morning. it means that someone has been teaching these guys the right thing. i know many people say disbanding the Iraqi army was the wrong thing to do, certainly it cost a lot of lives, but here today is the pay off. their army has learned a new way of thinking because the old was utterly destroyed.
Comment by rammer — January 30, 2005 @ 5:30 pm
Well done, Iraq. Well done.
Comment by Sarah — January 31, 2005 @ 12:52 am