Bush calls vote 'resounding success' for democracy
WASHINGTON -- President Bush congratulated Iraqis yesterday on what he called the ''resounding success" of their election, and signaled that he saw the vote as a victory for his larger vision of bringing democracy to the Arab world.
''Today, the people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East," Bush said at a press briefing after Iraqi polls closed yesterday. ''There is more distance to travel on the road to democracy, yet Iraqis are proving they are equal to the challenge."
After a week of downplaying expectations, senior Bush administration officials reveled in the barrage of glowing news reports of Iraqis turning out in large numbers, despite death threats and hastily prepared polling stations, and news of relatively few violent attacks across the country.
''Every indication is that the election in Iraq is going better than could have been expected," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during the ABC program ''This Week."
Yesterday's election marked the beginning of an elected government in Iraq with the potential for new legitimacy. At the same time, it signified an important moment for Bush, whose legacy depends on his ability to make Iraq a success after a controversial war.
Bush went forward with the invasion of Iraq because he said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that threatened the United States. Such weapons were never found, and Bush has instead turned his focus in Iraq to the goal of bringing democracy to the region as a vital part of the long-term war on terrorism.
''This is a good day for George Bush, after all the bad news," said Ivo Daalder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of ''America Unbound," a book that is critical of Bush's foreign policy. ''Politically, he's going to get a boost. If a vibrant democracy were to emerge in Iraq, people will forgive the president for having led them down the wrong path with respect to WMD."
But Daalder said that despite the initial impressions of a jubilant election day, it remains to be seen whether Iraq's fractured ethnic groups can work together to build a true democracy.
''A vibrant democracy is not going to emerge in Iraq in the next four years," he said. ''I don't think that just because people went to the polls, we should forget about all that has happened."
Still, the intimidation, fear, chaos, and finally celebration that marked yesterday's historic vote in Iraq sparked some of the most positive predictions since the initial days of the US-led invasion in March 2003.
Reporting live from Baghdad, anchorman Dan Rather told CBS viewers that ''this is a probable tipping point, certainly a very major turning point in the history of the US mission here." He said that the insurgents appeared to be on the run, unable to carry out their promises to launch massive attacks and decapitate voters on their way home from the polls.
After a year when news reports of car bombings and beheadings of hostages have become commonplace, the drama of yesterday's election provided an inspirational event that even Bush's harshest critics called a positive step. Among the hopeful signs was the highly visible presence of Iraqi security forces, which have had mixed success against insurgents in recent months.
Democrats who opposed the war indicated they would use the milestone to build momentum for a swift US withdrawal.
Representative Martin T. Meehan, Democrat of Lowell, released a white paper last week calling for the immediate withdrawal of up to 30,000 troops, with the majority of the remaining troops coming home by the end of the year.
''I think the performance of Iraqi security forces protecting the [polling] sites was encouraging," Meehan said in a telephone interview in which he stressed the importance of drawing down the US military presence. ''This new government can't survive without coming to an agreement on a plan that involves an exit strategy, because the occupation is so unpopular."
Meehan called the election ''a courageous first step towards political independence" and said the next step would be for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who called for a timetable of withdrawal last week, issued a statement that took note of the historic day, but also warned of potential problems.
''We are all moved by the bravery of the Iraqi people who voted in today's election, and we honor the courageous men and women of our armed forces who continue to risk their lives for a better future for the Iraqi people," he said. ''While the elections are a step forward, they are not a cure for the growing violence and resentment of the perception of an American occupation. The president must look beyond the election."
But for the most part yesterday, US officials and their allies emphasized the gains of the day.
''This is a remarkable day, and we all should stand in awe of what they have achieved," Rice said outside the CBS studio yesterday.
Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain called the election ''a blow right to the heart of global terrorism."
''It was the force of freedom that was felt throughout Iraq today," Blair said. ''Though we know it is only a beginning and though many difficulties lie ahead, it was moving and humbling for those of us lucky to live in countries where we take democracy for granted to see the simple determination . . . of Iraqis exercising the right to vote for the first time in their lives."
Blair acknowledged that the war in Iraq had generated ''deeply divided" world opinion.
But Bush made no reference to the divisions and anguished debate that persists about the US-led invasion. ''The people of the United States have been patient and resolute, even in difficult days," he said. ''The commitment to a free Iraq now goes forward."
Farah Stockman can be reached at fstockman@globe.com. 