Why do the war supporters believe voting was so important to Iraq?

Question

)....U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote:
Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror
by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times (9/4/1967)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.

According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.

The size of the popular vote and the inability of the Vietcong to destroy the election machinery were the two salient facts in a preliminary assessment of the nation election based on the incomplete returns reaching here.

Pending more detailed reports, neither the State Department nor the White House would comment on the balloting or the victory of the military candidates, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, who was running for president, and Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, the candidate for vice president.

A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.

The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the Saigon Government, which has been founded only on coups and power plays since November, 1963, when President Ngo Dinh Deim was overthrown by a military junta.

Few members of that junta are still around, most having been ousted or exiled in subsequent shifts of power.

Significance Not Diminished

The fact that the backing of the electorate has gone to the generals who have been ruling South Vietnam for the last two years does not, in the Administration's view, diminish the significance of the constitutional step that has been taken.

The hope here is that the new government will be able to maneuver with a confidence and legitimacy long lacking in South Vietnamese politics. That hope could have been dashed either by a small turnout, indicating widespread scorn or a lack of interest in constitutional development, or by the Vietcong's disruption of the balloting.

American officials had hoped for an 80 per cent turnout. That was the figure in the election in September for the Constituent Assembly. Seventy-eight per cent of the registered voters went to the polls in elections for local officials last spring.

Before the results of the presidential election started to come in, the American officials warned that the turnout might be less than 80 per cent because the polling place would be open for two or three hours less than in the election a year ago. The turnout of 83 per cent was a welcome surprise. The turnout in the 1964 United States Presidential election was 62 per cent.

Captured documents and interrogations indicated in the last week a serious concern among Vietcong leaders that a major effort would be required to render the election meaningless. This effort has not succeeded, judging from the reports from Saigon.

Vietnam was lost anyways. Even with the vote. I say there is no hope for Iraq.

Answer 1

i agree with you...it's just one of the few insignificant things for the war fanatics to hang on to.

Answer 2

The reason why Vietnam feel is because the democrats in Congress pulled the funding. So they didn't have any money to fend of the North.
This is the same as now in Iraq.
Democrats wants to run away.

Another big difference we know that Muslim terrorists are looking for a place to setup camps to lanuch more attacks on the West.

Giving them Iraq with Iran and Syria could supply them with arms and equipment is going to create more problems.

Vietnam the North didn't attack the U.S. Muslim terrorists have.

We should learn our lesson from Vietnam not repeat it like you want to.

Answer 3

expensive buddy, i'm deeply sorry which you misplaced your brother, listening to appropriate to the dying of yank squaddies and Iraqis civilians fairly hurts me in a profound way, I’m a pupil a techniques far off from abode and kin and that i comprehend that one’s kin is somewhat unique, i'm confident your brother became unique and specific to you and that i can especially much experience the variety you pass over because of the fact no you may ever replace him for you, appropriate to the conflict: it’s a disgrace, Bush is a liar a typical baby-kisser, who's deeply in denial, there's a no protection tension answer to Iraq and he could convey returned your troops ASAP, we could wish for peace on the earth!

Answer 4

Voting was important not to us but the Iraqi people who were finally given a voice in their country. Personally Im tired of the Iraq Vietnam war comparison. Im tired of all of the war bashing. You are hurting the spirit of the troops fighting for your cuntry when you keep complaining all the time. We get it, your against the war, move on to something else, God knows you liberals will find something else to complain about.

Answer 5

Vietnam was lost because they lost the support of our government thanks to the libs!!! They are trying to repeat history in Iraq.

Answer 6

Because nothing short of democracy is acceptable; and no cost is too great for it.

Answer 7

Thank you for your support.