Bush urges Iraqis to defy rebels

[alonzomourning23]

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I'm not really arguing with what he said or anything he did or did not say, I'm linking more to ask a question. Do you think he should even bother calling on Iraqi's to defy the insurgents? He isn't exactly the most popular person in Iraq, it seems to me that at worst he's actually helping the insurgents, and at best doing nothing. It seems like it makes those who are against the insurgency look more like puppets, that they are just doing what the u.s. wants, instead of voting because they themselves want to. An Iraqi would probably be a much better choice to say these things.

 

[RedvsBlue]

I would say that this issue, like everything Iraq-related, is a very difficult one with no good answer.

 

[bmulligan]

I have said before that even with the shock expressed when the Iraqi defense chief announced that there are estimated to be 200,000 insurgents, it represents a very small minority of Iraqi citizens and they will turn out in vast numbers to vote for their own representatives. They've been dealing with bullets, explosions, and violence for their entire lives, so I doubt anything will stop them from neglecting their right to vote. So, as far as bush's comments, I don't think it was meant specifically for the Iraqi's as it was a publicity appeal or a show of support for the average Iraqi citizen on display for the rest of the world. He could have honored their courage more by stating what I said in the first sentence, but again, his soundbyte writers flubbed another golden opportunity to make the president appear stately and intelligent, instead making him sound like he was pleading or being their leader. You used the term 'puppet', at least I think that's what you meant by it, so I'll concur. The idea could have been much better articulated if it had been from a more confident position, as if he knew they already had the courage to go to the polls.