Do YOU know what Iraqis are voting for Sunday?

[Career Prole]

Don't feel bad...according to Brig. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, neither do they. From CNN's American Morning show today...

"And I'm telling you, there's four million people registered to vote here in Baghdad, and these people clearly know -- they might not know clearly what they're voting about or who for, but they know it's something to do with democracy and the next step forward."

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0501/27/ltm.02.html

This farce of "bringing democracy" to Iraq is starting to sound as chimerical as the WMD alibi.

[Swede]

1. Freedom.

It was in all the papers.

[AllyCat]

2. Freedom! Liberty! Democracy!

Too bad they're in the wrong country.

[RBHam]

3. A fixed election is not Democracy...

As Stalin said, "It only matters who counts the votes..."

[Career Prole]

4. But it's only "something to do with democracy"!

The general I quoted is the guy in charge of security for the "elections", and despite all the DoD/RNC talking points he runs through in that transcript, he goes completely "off message" and says they don't even know what they're voting for over there.
That's a pretty damning admission of failure for the "It's Reigning Freedom Like Cats n' Dogs Revue", don't you think?

[Bjornsdotter]

5. Less filling vs Taste great? n/t

[Booster]

6. Did I hear right, that the people who are running are afraid to

let anyone know they are running? It's like a horse race; pick the horse because you like his name - just plain dumb bushit. We know whoever Bush wants in is going to win - just like Afganistan, and we all know how well that turned out.

[AllyCat]

9. Yes, that is true. NPR's Nothing Considered reported tonight

that many of the candidates can't even campaign because they will be killed. There are 7,000 names on the list (not a typo).

One election does not a democracy make, but one that looks like this is gonna be good for the bookies, eh? (no offense to bookies).

[Karenina]

21. It's a bloody farce.

Democracy a la Bush Quotes from http://www.bartcop.com /

"In a darkened hall, candidates for Iraq's main Shia party sit listening to a turbaned cleric speaking into a microphone. They are being told how to campaign for the election without getting killed.
The instructions are simple - avoid public places and do not reveal your identity, the cleric advised.
Most candidates should stay at home as much as possible, he added."
--Jack Fairweather, explaining Bush's vision for the Middle East

"I will not be voting because it is a useless charade. Any clever person can see that this war and its expenditures would lead to a government that opposes the Americans.”
--Salah Abrahim , who lives in the district of Baghdad populated primarily by Shia Muslims


"Who are these people? Where do they come from? Put yourself in my place, who would you vote for?"
--Yusrah Naif, a 52-year-old Shiite in Baghdad,


"I have no idea who these people are. We are all religious in Iraq but we want an honest, educated leader, not someone crying about what happened 2,000 years ago."
--Adil Guzzaz, 47, a Shiite who doesn't know any of the Iraqi candidates

Alert Printer Frie

[Itsthetruth]

10. Vote For Anonymous!

Most of the candidates do not have their names listed on the ballots!

[kohodog]

7. if they're smart they'll vote bush out!

too bad we wern't smart enough to do that. in bagdad that would be party #174. (I think)

[knowbody0]

8. everybody but bush

[Itsthetruth]

12. Anymouse

Anymouse .... I mean anonymous .... will win!

[Career Prole]

37. LOL! Am I slow on the uptake or what?

I just noticed that said everybody... :D

[DougieZero]

11. I have some questions...

Who is favored to win?... Is there any legitimate canidates?

[ThorsHammer]

13. I have a stupid question

Aren't they voting for electors who will then choose the next president? I'm all for democracy in Iraq, especially after getting rid of a tyrant like Saddam, but this seems a little weird.

[KharmaTrain]

15. Not Stupid...This Is Supposed To Elect A Constitutional Convention

The real hoot here is this whole charade could be played out two more times in the next year.

This parliament is supposed to come up with a new Constitution in 6 months that will be then voted on. Then, once a it is ratified, then there will be national and local elections for President or grand poobah or whatever. Yep...this is a total clusterfuss.

It took our founding fathers nearly 3 years to write our Constitution, and they had far more motivations to do so and no occupation army outside their door.

The shame is what a true set back this will have for real democracy in that part of the world as western style elections will now be viewed as another "western evil".

[TWiley]

18. Steam-Roll anyone?

Or maybe a bush family "Bums rush" for the wealth.

[uncle ray]

14. vote? i thought there was a dart tournament this weekend!...n/t

[Solly Mack]

16. when you punch one name but it comes up another, that's the same thing as

"..they might not know clearly what they're voting about or who for, but they know it's something to do with democracy"

I'm just saying...

[Career Prole]

22. LOL!

Point taken... :eyes:

[Solly Mack]

24. well, you know..going to the polls is a crap shoot these days

don't know if your vote will even get counted or who they will count it for...

Bush's idea of democracy is coming to Iraq. Where outcome can be manipulated.

[TWiley]

17. They are voting for Free-dom-ination

Their vote, even if only 12 participate, will be used to demonstrate the bushtapo's "success" in Iraq. Repubs will use it to prove they wanted us to come there to kill their children, and to steal their oil.

[leftchick]

19. chimpy* doesn't know either..

but to him it is democracy as long as he says it is.

[RockStar]

20. They are not Voting (They are signing their souls to the devil =Bush)

Their vote dont count Bush and Company already know who will win...

[OneTwentyoNine]

23. There are actaully 7700 candidates running,who knows anything?

Then they group them into "slates" So...you vote for a slate. Has anyone heard any speeches,radio,TV in Iraq??

Who the hell would know anything about anyone??

[Career Prole]

25. The frontrunner and his running mate...

...who will now go back into hiding. They will reveal their platform after the election for security purposes.
From the difficulties they face in casting their ballots to the candidates who don't reveal themselves or their motives until the election is over, I'd have to say that Iraqi democracy will closely resemble ours.

[LynnTheDem]

26. The little guy is slate #146 and the big guy is #78

But don't tell anyone I told you or I'll be hunted down and kiiii.....

[Career Prole]

28. Thanks for that live report, Lynn! Lynn? Lynn?

We seem to have lost our uplink...we'll be back after this message from Proctor-Gamble-Gillette-Lockheed minipads.

Lynn? Lynn? LYYYNNNNNN!!!!

[LynnTheDem]

29. This is Lynn. I love President Bush. President Bush is a great leader.

All Iraqis love the great leader President Bush. All Iraqis are voting and want to vote for President Bush to be the great leader of Iraq.

All Iraqis left alive say they are very happy the Americans liberated them. The 100,000 Iraqis who were killed were very stupid Iraqis. Too stupid to get out from under big bombs. America should not worry about that.

All Iraqis love America and especially the great leader President Bush.

Back to you, Career.

Is the mike cut?

No problem, of course they'll fall for that shit.

Look what shit they've already fallen for.

What?

No I said 'is the mike CUT'! Not 'isn't Mike gut" that doesn't even make any sense you stupid well CUT it already damn it Feith you really ARE the stupidest mother fu......

[Career Prole]

32. ROFLMAO!

So glad to see you've made it!
Coming up after the break, General Allswell will be appearing on American Coffeetalk with a special report on the interesting coincidence that the only candidate so far with a name is Zawi Allawi, followed by The Election Channel's "Explosions on the 8's" forecast...weeeeee're outta here!!

[AllyCat]

34. I just blew coffee out my nose you two...

stop it already! I'm dying here...

[Career Prole]

36. Well then, do you want to buy our Liberal Media Filter?

Helps keep those keyboards dry...just $6.99 (plus $34.95 s&h)!
Plus, if you're one of the first hundred callers we'll send you a Sanctity O' Marriage Mouthpiece (a $21,000 value) absolutely free!!!
:bounce:

[Karenina]

38. Nah....

You seem pretty alive to me.
Check back in after casting your vote in Iraq (jes' tell em your great-grampa was born there, there's a flight leaving at...) ;-)
:evilgrin:

[Just Me]

27. Well, hell. Might as well do a LOTTO draw of those 7,000 "candidates!!

This isn't an election. It's a freakin' LOTTO!!!

The whole charade is merely a democracy parody.

Geez.

If it wasn't so pukin' outrageous, it'd be damn funny. Well, it is damned funny (reaching a catharsis, here).

[ultraist]

30. Show election

Voters don't even know who all of the candidates are yet because the candidates are afraid to reveal they are on the ballot
*No campaigning
*Improper ballots with over 700 names
*No voter education
*Unsafe polls

This "election" does not have any democratic qualities whatsoever.

It's going to be a lot worse than the "election" described below:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FE18Df04.html
"The lok sabha (lower house of parliament) elections, as well as state assembly elections in four states, were held under the circumstances of calls for a poll boycott by a plethora of violent anti-state groups across the country, widespread voter intimidation, as well as targeted violence against candidates, party machinery, security force personnel and civilians. Calls for poll boycotts have long been an essential feature of the terrorists' strategy in the various theatres of sub-conventional conflict in India.

In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), for instance, terrorist groups and their proxy over-ground separatist organizations called for a boycott, arguing that elections could not resolve the decades-old conflict. Terrorist cadres attacked politicians, polling booths and party offices since campaigning started for the four-phased elections held between April 20 and May 10. The intimidation strategy was clearly illuminated when the Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JuM) stated, after a grenade blast targeted an election rally of the state health minister and Congress Party nominee for Udhampur parliamentary constituency, Choudhury Lal Singh, in the Banihal area of Doda district on April 14, that it would "continue to target election rallies as it was only by force it can demonstrate that parliamentary elections could not be held in Kashmir".

In the four phases of polling, a total of 31 persons were reportedly killed and 109 incidents of grenade attacks, improvised explosive device blasts, firing incidents and other poll-related incidents of violence occurred in the entire state. These numbers compare favorably with the 2002 state legislative assembly elections, which were marred by higher levels of violence and intimidation. Various terrorist formations had organized a series of attacks against political parties, security forces and the electorate in 2002, and 41 political workers were killed in the month of September alone. There was also an organized attempt to intimidate civil society ahead of those elections, and 168 civilians succumbed to terrorist attacks between the beginning of August and September 22, 2002. In 1999, the year of the last lok sabha elections, saw the deaths of 49 political activists. In the 1998 lok sabha elections, 41 political activists were killed; and the 1996 assembly elections saw 69 such deaths."

[Career Prole]

31. The situation screams for black humor.

I myself have wondered if blood spatter still generates an overvote if it doesn't hit any of the 7,000 ovals on the ballot, or if voter intent can be determined by autopsy. :(

[Oilwellian]

33. Juan Cole was talking about this yesterday

The Iraqis will be voting for the equivalent of what we call Congress. The interesting point he made though was Iraq will only have one House. Our forefathers created two houses (particularly the Senate) to assure that the smaller states would have equal representation and wouldn't be dominated by the larger, more populated states. Likewise, for Iraq, the Shia will dominate because they equal 60% of Iraq's population. Why is Bush setting it up so Iraq will be dominated by one group who has a liking for islamic fundamentalism and ties with the Mullahs in Iran?

[msgadget]

35. Huey says

http://www.ucomics.com/boondocks/2005/01/25/