
After the January 30, 2005 elections, Iraqis came up with this riddle: If 60% of Iraqis are Shia, 35% Sunni, and 15% Kurds, who voted for the Kurd?
According to CIA’s World Factbook, the population of Iraq is 75%-80% Arab and 15%-20% Kurdish. Yet Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, was chosen as Iraq’s president on April 6, 2005, becoming the first leader of an Arab country who is not himself an Arab. Kurds are an Iranian ethno-linguistic group. They are fluent in Persian which is why during his speeches, Talabani stumbles over his “learned” usage of Arabic.
“Talabani has dedicated his life to the cause of Iraqi liberation,” President Bush had said.
Actually, Talabani has dedicated his life to the cause of the Kurdish liberation.