Bush Seen Unlikely to Back Any Delay in Iraq Vote

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush is unlikely to back any delay in Iraq's Jan. 30 election, despite fears the current timetable could risk an outbreak of civil war, analysts and other experts say.

Bush, who views Iraq as a battleground for democracy, has said postponing the vote would give in to insurgents intent on reestablishing the tyranny that prevailed under Saddam Hussein.

White House officials on Wednesday said Bush spoke with Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar about the need for pushing ahead with the polls. Earlier, Yawar suggested he would support a delay.

Administration officials also cite polling data that shows a majority of Iraqis -- Sunni and Shi'ite -- want elections this month and say a delay would only encourage more attacks as insurgents tried to stave off elections permanently.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=7247076

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Shouldn't that be the Iraqi interim goverment's province?

God, I hate that man.

[struggle4progress]

12. Why would you expect the Iraqi government to have any say about it?

[Tweed]

17. Seriously

[fliesincircles]

2. Who Knew

That Delay was even running in the Iraqi Elections.

[saltpoint]

3. Nobody cares what Bush thinks.

The decision on whether to proceed with the scheduled Iraqi election will likely be made by the people blowing up police stations, etc.

Not by Bush.

[Bucknut213]

4. Iraq's future might be uncertain

but I think the elections should go on as planned. I hope the elections go well even if it will help Bush.

[maduroftime]

5. As do I

I hope that the election will have a wide participation and acceptance of results.

[LynnTheDem]

7. You may not have noticed but there's a RAGING WAR going on.

There is NO WAY to hold wide and accepted POLLS, it';s NOT an election, in a WAR ZONE.

Nice try, tho.

[Bucknut213]

11. What's the alternative to

holding the elections now? Waiting 5 years for the situation to calm down with no guarantee that the country would even be ready then? The current conditions are less than ideal. They might be the worst for any election in history. The choice seems to be leaders elected in an imperfect election or a unelected interim govt. I vote for the imperfect election. Of course, I doubt my vote will be counted: I live in Ohio.

[lebkuchen]

24. Why not let the Iraqis run their own elections?

Saddam's gone. Let the Iraqis take over. They're not children. It's their country.

I think US troops are antagonizing the population, in large part due to the attacks they have made on the Iraqi population. The US should leave the country to the Iraqis now. Bring the troops home, now.

One can't be more supportive of our military than that.

[lebkuchen]

23. Not to mention,

"Bush, who views Iraq as a battleground for democracy, has said postponing the vote would give in to insurgents intent on reestablishing the tyranny that prevailed under Saddam Hussein."

Bombing civilian houses isn't tyranny? Saddam never bombed his own people, did he?

[Gman]

14. An election run by operatives of the RNC

is supposed to have wide participation and wide acceptance of the results?? ROFLMAO!!

Bush's war is about to blow up in his face.

[lebkuchen]

25. We're watching Bush foreign policy implode before our very eyes

Unfortunately, Bush is taking down with him thousands of others--those who are either in it for the money (military, mercs and contractors) or those who are in it for their desire to be free of occupiers, or are simply innocent bystanders, mainly women and children.

Even today non Germans ask of the German population, "Why didn't you do something when Hitler was in power to prevent this carnage?"

We are the Germans of the 1940s. Put in the same situation, we realize, we can't do much but watch and try to stay out of the line of fire.

[karlrschneider]

9. Uh huh...and I hope I win the fucking lottery.

:eyes:

[LynnTheDem]

6. WHAT, exactly, was handed over in that SOVEREIGNTY ceremony

last Spring?

Just wondering, coz it sure as fuck wasn't Iraq.

[tsuki]

8. Randi ripped that topic, SOVEREIGNTY, up last night. It was great to hear

it. Had me laughing out loud, and I was alone.

[LynnTheDem]

10. Well hell, we all KNEW at the time it was total fraud, but still we s/be

pointing this shit out...you know, all INNOCENT LOOKING "but buuuush, you proooomised..."

The way the rethugs do to us. 'Cept they drag each incident out for decades.

[Jacobin]

13. Delay or no delay the entire thing is a hopeless mess

Whether anyone believes Rumfilled that its a "handful of dead-enders" or "5,000" or as lately reported "200,000", by this point, the entire population of Iraq (gotta be at least 90%) want us to get the fuck out of their country so they can settle their own problems (probably with civil war, but guess what? we did that for them since the strongman Saddam is no longer in power)

[tabasco]

15. Big deal.

No matter when the election will be, it will be a sham. Sham votes in a sham election in a sham "free Iraq."

Our puppets will be installed and our soldiers will continue to die.

Will it take 58,000 KIA this time for the ignorant American public to demand an end to this war for profits?

[UndergroundLight4]

16. I thought Bush was backing Allawi anyway?

How is Delay a candidate in the Iraqi election? He doesn't even speak English, much less Arabic.

[gardenista]

18. kick for Khephra

[Robbien]

19. It is so nice that Tweed is bringing these threads up

to the front page. LBN just isn't the same without Kheph.

[Rhiannon12866]

26. It sure is, though these are all issues that we still need to know about

He was so informed about things, I just don't know what we'll do without him.:shrug:

[daleo]

20. The votes have already been counted, the "election" held

Now, they just need some ballots to make a show of it.

Hint - Bush's preferred candidate will win.

[susanna]

21. Kick

[miss_kitty]

22. kick for Khephra

[mutius]

27. Will bush help with the fraud in the election process?

[Rhiannon12866]

31. Bush* helped expedite the fraud in the election process!

Ken Blackwell was his guy!:-(

Again, welcome to DU, mutius! Glad to have you with us!:toast:

Kick for Khephra!:kick:

[Misunderestimator]

28. kick

[truthisfreedom]

29. a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

idiot.

[Scout]

30. kick