A hunch: Iraq election will be a colossal flop.

[cliss]

The Iraqis are scheduled to have their first election in January of 2005. Bush has said that this is Iraq's 1st step toward Democracy and freedom. However, with violence increasing and with 3 poll workers assassinated in Baghdad 2 days ago, the whole event is tenuous.

Bush acknowledged this yesterday. He admitted that the insurgent attacks wer having an effect on the "organization of free and fair elections there next month". See the thread called "Iraq elections are in trouble, Bush admits".

Canada was just asked to participate and be poll watchers. They refused, citing security concerns. The UN is only contributing a handful of people, saying that security is so bad, they cannot guarantee the safety of their people.

So the question comes up: why have elections right now? Why bother when the average Iraqi does not have regular electricity, has problems with running water, safety would be a concern! Iraqis take their lives into their own hands when they walk out their door.

Besides, who's doing the choosing (the nominees for President)? Is it the Iraqis, or is it the US? This reminds me of Henry Ford, as they were building the first Model-T cars. There was some dispute about the color. Ford said to his designers, "Choose any color, as long as it's black".

Answer: this election is not meant for the Iraqis. It's for American consumption. As long as "progress" is being made, that somehow "freedom" and "democracy" is being exported to Iraq, the increasingly suspicious Americans will go along with the ruse.

As the US meets with failure after failure and Iraq descends into chaos, the Image Makers create new mileposts and ever-receding goals to make us fell we're "winning" in Iraq.

William Kristol, the "Godfather" of the PNAC, kept hammering away about the elections, and how they could not be postponed, under any circumstances. He obviously understands the American mentality, which has a very limited shelf life for patience.

Prediction: the Iraqi election will be a Non-event. There will be maybe 10 or 15 ballots cast. More Iraqis will die from participating. The insurgents have promised the 4th of July fireworks on election day. The news will do its best to show that everything is wonderful over there on election day, but who will even go in there? With their TV cameras & film crews.

It will be seen as a huge failure. Bush already knows this. That's the reason behind his swollen, puffy face in the Yahoo article.

[ogradda]

1. they'll fake some kind of slop.

as long as * gets to say "mission accomplished" that's what matters. i'm sure he prefers that to a true democracy anyway.

[Jesus H. Christ]

2. Holy crap. No way.

What's next, Madame Cleo, is a bear going to shit in the woods?

[MrUnderhill]

3. I guess we'll find out whether they "want" it or not.

Regardless of how Democracy came to them... now is their chance. Perhaps their one and only chance. In some countries, rampant violence has NOT succeeded in preventing elections. Heroic stories of people waiting on line for hours right where a bomb had gone off that morning killing people waiting to vote bring tears to the eye.

In other countries, perhaps the violence succeeds.

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[purduejake]

6. Why will they go to vote when it probably won't count?

How can we hold elections in a country like Iraq when our citizens can't even go to the polls without being intimidated and harassed? Ugh.

[Beetwasher]

9. Err, What? We'll Find Out If They Want It??? Want What? Bombs and Bullets?

Are you friggin' kidding? Most of the country won't be able to vote because they're under siege and do you honestly think the elections will be real? As in, the votes will be counted?

Give me a break. There's never been a bigger scam than this so-called "election".

[Johonny]

11. I imagine

You will see a pro-USA government of mostly Shiite power (holy shit really). In general the Sunni will continue their attacks post election (why would they stop?). The USA will eventually build an Shiite army to restore peace by the mass murder of the Sunni's until they either submit, move or die. Basically the more the violence continues the more likely we will see the rise of a Shiite dictator backed by a mass murdering militia. Of course some would argue the USA is already taking the Militia role. Of course you got Saudi, Turkish, Iranian, Syrian influences as well. I mean there so many people out to control the Iraqi puppet government I just can't see it surviving. It's Germany 1919 with a new government hated and distrusted by the public.

[Djinn]

12. kinda missing the point

they will only get the choice of "accepted" candidates, no matter who they elect that "government" will be hamstrung by contracts set up by the US that have sold the silverware, they're locked into trade/patent agreements that are detrimental, certain areas may be excluded from the vote, and even if they overcome all this and actually manage to elect someone who rules on behalf of the Iraqi people rather than the US admin and their corporate cronies they'll be pretty quickly deposed....Mossadegh, Allende, Lumumba, Arbenz etc etc

[Name removed]

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[immoderate]

5. Shades of deja vu.

I remember the elections in South Vietnam. And the assassinations that followed. Bush must have not been paying attention during the Vietnam war. Oh how could I say that?

Maybe we shouldn't elect presidents who have absolutely no knowledge of world affairs. Oh silly me. He's got values.

--IMM

[Tikki]

10. Yeah, I was thinking about that same history..

One little 'puppet government' in and then out, then another and another...seems like, some, in a matter of weeks or months.

[skjpm]

7. a hunch--somewhere in America, there will be snow this winter

I'm also going to go out on a limb and predict rain.

It's odd, though, that Bush apparently doesn't see the disaster coming.

[gnofg]

8. two people I want to protect me

Bush and Bill Kristol. They would be really tough when the chips are down. I bet both csan really fight LOL

[nostamj]

13. UNLIKE here in the USA...

when the bushies STAGE an election which places their puppet (cough Allowi cough) into power... they WILL take to the streets.


Nostamj_blog