# Saddam wins in landslide, 11,445,638 to 0; no film at 11, or any other time **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 16, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504 "2002-10-16T13:43:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/1 "2002-10-16T13:43:10Z")
This isn’t a rant, because I am speechless. I mean, I expected a bit of ballot box stuffing, maybe a few soldiers keeping people from voting, maybe a few imams instructing the faithful how to vote, but the sheer scope of this, the chutzpah of it, is staggering. [http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/10/16/iraq.elections.ap/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/10/16/iraq.elections.ap/index.html) > [@](#): > > Saddam wins 100 percent of vote > > Wednesday, October 16, 2002 Posted: 6:57 AM EDT (1057 GMT) > BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – Saddam Hussein won another seven-year term as Iraq’s president in a referendum in which he was the sole candidate, taking 100 percent of the vote, the Iraqi leader’s right-hand man announced Wednesday. > > All 11,445,638 of the eligible voters cast ballots, said Izzat Ibrahim, vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council that is Iraq’s key decision-making body. > > “This is a unique manifestation of democracy which is superior to all other forms of democracies even in these countries which are besieging Iraq and trying to suffocate it,” Ibrahim said at a news conference in Baghdad, apparently referring to the United States. > > The White House had dismissed the one-man race in advance, and the results seemed to bear out the criticism. To get a vote total at all – let alone a 100 percent “yes” vote – Iraqi officials would have had to gather and count millions of paper ballots, some from remote areas far from Baghdad. Okaaaayyyyy… I’m flashing on the little kid who’s told to go clean his unspeakably filthy room on a Saturday morning. Five minutes later he’s back downstairs, reporting cheerfully, “All done.” Mom goes upstairs to check, and sees that he’s simply shoved the whole mess under the bed. She points to it. He looks at it, doesn’t seem to think anything’s wrong, gives her that big grin. “But, Mom,” he says engagingly, “the _room_ is clean.” Saddam, grinning engagingly: “But George, we _had_ an election…” > [@](#): > > Ibrahim referred to the United States as the “forces of injustice and illusion,” and called Iraq the land of “civilization and creativity.” Yep, I’d have to say, this is definitely creative–who’d a thunk they’d come up with something this–brazen–is the only word for it. Or is it just immature, like the kindergartner who really thinks he’s finessed Mom and the whole room-cleaning thing? Needless to say, the Kurds did not vote. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/2 "2002-10-16T13:44:30Z")
so…if someone had run against him, would he have been blown away? ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/3 "2002-10-16T13:46:52Z")
In the polls or on the street, **vanilla**? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/4 "2002-10-16T13:49:29Z")
Well, it was more of a straight up/down vote. “We want Hussein as president” \_\_\_\_\_Yes \_\_\_\_\_\_No Yet another Iraqi fair and free election… ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/5 "2002-10-16T13:50:17Z")
Reminds me of those _Wizard of Id_ cartoons with the voting machine which had large levers with KING and OTHER GUY written on them. Pull the OTHER GUY lever, and a trapdoor opens under your feet, depositing you in the dangeon below. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/6 "2002-10-16T13:50:27Z")
The best thing I heard was on BBC radio, which reported that voters were being encouraged not just to vote “Yes” for Saddam, but “Yes, yes, yes”. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/7 "2002-10-16T13:53:28Z")
in the street. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/8 "2002-10-16T13:59:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Captain Amazing \* > \*\*Well, it was more of a straight up/down vote. > > “We want Hussein as president” > \_\_\_\_\_Yes \_\_\_\_\_\_No > Yet another Iraqi fair and free election… \*\* More like \_\_\_\_\_\_Yes \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_Yes ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/9 "2002-10-16T14:00:29Z")
I’m pretty stunned at this. Christ that guy is nuts. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/10 "2002-10-16T14:00:48Z")
Was there any doubt as to the result? I’m sure the voters received the ballot pre marked to help them make their decision “We want Hussein as president” \_X\_\_Yes \_\_\_\_\_\_No ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/11 "2002-10-16T14:01:43Z")
Well it certainly saved the returning officers from getting into a lather about about hanging chads. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/12 "2002-10-16T14:04:13Z")
**they hung Chad???** ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/13 "2002-10-16T14:05:35Z")
If they wanted to make it believable, there should have at least been _some_ no votes and a couple of no-shows. I mean really!!! ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/14 "2002-10-16T14:07:03Z")
I hear tell Nader got 25 votes… ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/15 "2002-10-16T14:07:30Z")
Jon Stewart showed a video of one dude last night who wrote in a candidate. Of course, he wrote in “Saddam”, but still… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/16 "2002-10-16T14:07:35Z")
Yeah, Like Chad is an Arabic name. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/17 "2002-10-16T14:09:27Z")
I’m personally gratified. I know during that last election after the Gulf Way, Saddam faced a crises of confidence. He squeaked by with a mere 99.96% of the vote. Thanks though through hard work, social programs, and compassionate leadership Saddam has managed to regain the confidence of his feckless minio… err citizens. Probably the campaigning helped. I understand in baghdad that if you picked up a phone, the dial tone was replaced by a “vote “yes” for Saddam,” recording. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/18 "2002-10-16T14:13:12Z")
Did his rapists vote? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/19 "2002-10-16T14:18:31Z")
Yes, several times. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504/20 "2002-10-16T14:24:41Z")
::Total egregious hijack:: Just curious Lib. Are you able to translate the last part of Phaedrus’ final post? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddam-wins-in-landslide-11-445-638-to-0-no-film-at-11-or-any-other-time/132504.md?page=2)