U.S. Firm on Iraq Election Date in Face of Rising Concerns

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 - In the calculation of the Bush administration, Iraq faces a turning point on Jan. 30, when the first authentic elections in modern history are to take place. But a fresh wave of doubts about whether the violent Iraqi insurgency will undermine the elections' legitimacy or force their delay have posed a major challenge to the administration as it guides Iraq on a bumpy road to democratization.

For now, administration officials are standing firm in the face of a fresh round of demands from some respected Sunni leaders in Iraq that the elections be postponed. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell heard similar concerns last week from Arab envoys at a meeting on Iraq's future in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, and he summarily rejected them.

Administration officials say they cannot rule out that elections might not occur on time but that a decision on whether to delay them is unjustified at present.
........
The basic concern about whether the elections can be held, and whether they will be beneficial to Iraq, center on two intertwining realities.

"It's like the twin strands of a double helix of a DNA molecule," said an official planning for the vote. "One strand is the technical and operational part. We are basically on course for that one, in perhaps 70 or 80 percent of Iraq," the official said. "But the other strand, without which you can't have DNA, is the overall environment. There we have a problem."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/29/politics/29diplo.html

[VegasWolf]

1. "Steady as she goes Ensign, no icebergs tonight!" n/t

[Inland]

2. Crap, was the DNA simile supposed to clarify matters?

Fuck you, "official", I am not impressed by the fact you know that DNA has a double helix, and your simile is nonsense. Have another g&t at your green zone swimming pool and try not to do any more damage to Iraq than you already have.

[daleo]

3. The DNA thing had an eerie Viet Nam ring

I seem to recall military officers coming up with peculiar analogies like that back then. I don't know if it means anything.

[i_got_2_get_away]

4. I bet you...

50 bucks say everything will be more chaotic after the election. The suicide bombers will just go after the polling stations.

Security must be 100% on lock!