Afghan Election Recap

Despite scattered reports of shootings and attempted sabotage that left five people dead during the day and two police officers dead on the eve of the election, the vast bulk of the voting went remarkably smoothly, election officials and international observers said.

Some officials said early assessments showed that the turnout among the 12.4 million Afghans who had registered to vote was about 50 percent, lower than had been hoped. But the officials suggested that the turnout reflected voter confusion over the 5,800 candidates, not intimidation from threats of a major attack from the Taliban, the Islamist extremists who sheltered Al Qaeda here before the American-led invasion evicted them from power.

You can almost read the glee at the Times for the low turnout, though it is comparable to the usual turnout in US elections. That's right folks, we have parlimentary elections in the US and many precincts see far fewer than 50% of registered voters turn out. We have demogogues who complain that long lines were discriminatory and forced away voters before they could place votes.

The Afghans who turned out to vote did so despite threats of violence against anyone who cast a vote. Keep that in mind next time you decide not to go and vote because it is raining or because you hear that there might be a line of 4-5 people awaiting to cast their ballots.

Once again, the Afghan people put many Americans to shame, though I think those that should be shamed for their statements will not even recognize the folly of their ways. And that includes the folks at the New York Times.