In Armored Vehicles, U.S. Troops Tell Iraqis to Vote

A rumbling column of U.S. Bradley fighting vehicles grinds to a stop in a rebellious Iraqi neighborhood of scarred houses and mud streets.

Heavily-armed troops jump out and begin searching homes as loudspeakers blast in Arabic: "On Sunday you should go out to vote. Vote to give freedom to Iraq. Vote to save Iraq." A soldier hands out fliers to a group of untidy children.
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Suddenly, the whistle of a grenade pierces the air and a loud explosion shakes the ground. The soldiers fire back before returning to their armored vehicles and the convoy speeds away.

If you saw a get out the vote campaign like this reported on "The Daily Show," you'd laugh. And you might expect scenes like this in a Terry Gilliam film -- a sequel to "Brazil," perhaps. But real life? Nah.

I am again reminded of Tom Lehrer's observation that, after Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize, political satire became impossible. What can anyone say about such monstrous absurdity?