Iraq Election Fiasco: Another Rove production!

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Iraq's electoral fiasco
by Mike Whitney

[font=arial,sans-serif]Link to Article[/font]



[font=arial,sans-serif]The only way the Iraqi elections would have been interesting is if they'd stuck Saddam's name on the ballot. Then we could've seen whether the Iraqi people are sick enough of Bush's farce to want a return to the old order. Instead, we're left ferreting through reams of trivia to sort out what the voting really meant.

It's easier to figure out what it doesn't mean.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=8 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 bgColor=#eeeeee><TBODY><TR><TD><!-- BEGIN BURST! CODE --><!-- /* Copyright 1997-2003 BURST! Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. (Version 1.0F) */ --><!-- END BURST! CODE --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>It doesn't mean that the water that has been off for 8 straight days in Baghdad will come on anytime soon. Nor does it mean that the sputtering electrical grid will work for more than 4 hours a day, or that anyone is going to clean up the raw sewage that's coursing through the streets in downtown Baghdad. And it certainly doesn't mean that the newly "elected" officials will have any real influence over borders, air space, oil extraction, economic policy, deployment of troops or any of the other powers we normally associate with sovereign leaders. (Even the ridiculously named Iraqi National Bank is completely owned by foreign investors) Those will still be in the hands of their US overlords. They will however, be frequently photographed by an enthusiastic media eager to display America's latest satraps to the world. And, they can also expect an engraved invitation to the upcoming State of the Union Speech, where they'll be showcased next to Crawford Laura in the front-row, upper-deck, like some exotic Amazonian bird captured in the wild. (The Bush people are very big on diversity.)

So, although the elections may be a meaningless exercise of imperial maneuvering, the coup was carried off with considerable skill.

For one thing, the western media proved, once again, its breathtaking range and ability. All the major televised media featured virtually the same lead without one dissonant voice. They praised the "brave Iraqis who put themselves at risk to enjoy the blessings of democracy". This "objective" account was accompanied by footage of mile-long lines of expectant Iraqis waiting to cast their first vote in free elections. No mention was made of the fact that (as Robert Fisk noted) that the world media was limited to exactly 5 polling stations that were secured by legions of troops and armored vehicles in predominantly Shiite areas to give the impression of widespread participation.

In keeping with the (Karl) Rovian philosophy of political hi-jinks, the streets were swept-clean, the cement barricades were hidden from view, and the rolls of razor-wire were scrupulously kept off camera. All signs of city under siege were effectively concealed. It was a solid effort on the part of the White House producers who slapped this comedy together. Particularly admirable were the scenes of enraptured Iraqis waving flags and gyrating with abandon on the streets of Baghdad. What American could watch such a heartwarming demonstration of elation and not feel choked-up by the great gift Bush has bestowed on these simple people.

Alas, it was all a hoax as well. As Robert Fisk opines in his latest article in the UK Independent, he stumbled on "three truckloads of youths, all brandishing Iraqi flags-like the unemployed who have been sticking posters to Baghdad's walls-paid by the government to 'advertise' the election. And there was a cameraman from state television."

"Paid by the government"?

Ah-ha! Yet another public relations ploy like the carefully choreographed toppling of Saddam in Fidros Square, or the staged landing of "Top-Gun" Georgie B. on the USS Lincoln; this time arranged and financed by ex-CIA operative (and former Saddam agent) Iyad Allawi.

Shame, shame, shame!...but, good theatre none the less. And, besides, the charges of fraud won't be forthcoming anytime soon. For now, the balloting is being celebrated by the media as another positive step towards the anticipated "transfer of power". Just listen to the unanimity of the approbation from the press: "Iraqis Brave Bombs to vote in Millions" MSNBC... "This is Democracy!" Reuters... "Brave Voters defy Rebels" NY Post... "Iraqis begin Historic Vote" Washington Times.

Anyway, you get the idea. A quick perusing of Google headlines produces 1,468 stories with nearly identical bylines. The western press is either besotted with Iraq's "alleged" metamorphosis or they're getting their marching orders from "Sec-Def" at the Pentagon. Either way, don't waste your time looking for divergent points of view in the establishment media. Anything that fails to harmonize with the Conquistador agenda has been conscientiously extracted by the roots.

NYT's profound remorse for the deceased

The "Paper of Record" gave its typically glib assessment of the elections by noting "a comparatively peaceful day of voting". In the parlance of the New York Times that means that only 41 Iraqis will killed; "chump-change" for America's prodigious war-machine, unless, of course, you happen to be the unhappy wife or child who just lost your father or brother to a nervous Marine with a hair-trigger finger. In any event that's not the business of the NYTs. They've got a war to cover and (like Tommy Franks says) they don't do body counts.

Similarly, Corporate George added his voice to the chorus of praise with his characteristic chest-thumping, "I-told-you-so" rhetoric saying "The people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East....Terrorists and insurgents will continue to wage their war against democracy, but we will support the Iraqi people in their fight against them." And, Blah, blah, blah; like the shallow whistling of hot air emerging from a flat tire.

George W. may be crowing "victory" a bit prematurely. Iraq is not quite ready for the trophy-case along side Bush's Warlord-dominated, drug-colony, Afghanistan. And, despite the celebratory braying from the obsequious press, 20% of the population boycotted the elections, and that 20% (Sunnis) have ruled Iraq as long as anyone can remember. They'll have their say before the day is done.

Bush can revel in his Pyrrhic victory; everyone enjoys seeing happy, ballot-clutching folks mugging for the cameras. But, beyond the circumscribed range of the media, the fighting rages on.

Attacks on the polls occurred in Baghdad, Balad, Basra, Baquba, Hilla, Kirkuk, Mosul, Tal Afar, Al-Duluiya, Al-Mhawil, Al Muqtadiya and Samarra. This is the tragic litany of the Torturer-in-Chief's ongoing depredations in Iraq; a list that will be faithfully excluded from today's festive coverage of election results. Reality rarely intrudes into the bubble of managed perceptions that encloses the American public. Today will be no different.

The suffering, torture and death unleashed by America's blundering military campaign have been temporarily suspended to rejoice in this moment of unalloyed, Orwellian ecstasy. Bush has acquired his fig leaf of legitimacy and the rudiments of a client regime that will assist him in his long-range goals, but at what cost to both Iraq's future and America's prestige. The desperation of this electoral fiasco is reminiscent of a skydiver grasping at a frayed ripcord as he tumbles downward through the ether.

There's a hard landing ahead.
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Here's a Blog from an Iraqi

Baghdad Burning



... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Water Anxiety...
I have to make this fast. We have about two hours of electricity- hopefully. The water came back yesterday evening. It's just a little drizzle but it's certainly better than nothing.

E. was the first to hear it. We were sitting in the living room and he suddenly jumped up, alert, "Do you hear that?" He asked. I strained my ears for either the sound of a plane or helicopter or gun shots. Nothing... except, wait... something... like a small stream of... water? Could it be? Was it back? We both ran into the bathroom where we had the faucets turned on for the last eight days in anticipation of water. Sure enough, there it was- a little stream of water that kept coming and going as if undecided. E. and I did a little victory dance in front of the sink with some celebratory hoots and clapping.

This was followed by a lot of work. We spent the rest of the evening filling anything that was fillable- pots, pans, cups, bottles and buckets. The formerly empty area under the staircase is now filled with big pots of water covered with trays and mismatching pot covers to keep out stray bugs and dust.

I almost didn't sleep last night. I kept worrying the water would be cut off again. I actually crept downstairs at 4 a.m. to see if it was still there and found E. standing in the bathroom doorway doing the same. My mother is calling the syndrome "water anxiety". We were hoping the flow would grow stronger at night but apparently the water pressure is really low. E. and I rose early this morning because we decided last night that should the water continue to flow, we'd attempt to fill up the big water tank on the roof. The water from this tank goes directly to the electric water heater but since we haven't been using that for a while now, we decided to close up the tank and use it as a sort of secondary storage. We cannot get caught off-guard again. Drinking water rose to almost 1,000 Dinars a liter this last week.

E. and I spent the day carrying up buckets of water. The water flow is so weak, it takes about 17 minutes to fill up a 10 liter plastic pail (I was timing it). We've carried up about 10 buckets until now. The water still doesn't reach the kitchen faucets so we've managed to move the dirty dishes to the bathroom and are washing them there.

Unfortunately, the electricity situation has deteriorated. We're getting about four hours for every twenty hours in our area- I'm not quite sure what's going on in the other areas. It feels like we're almost cut off from each other.

Baghdad has been unstable these last few days. We had several explosions this last week and although the number of explosions wasn't surprising, the force of a couple of them had us wincing. There's a real fear of the coming elections and what they might bring. I don't like the idea that they've selected schools as election sites. School is out right now, but the security threat is obvious- elections sites are most likely going to be bombed. Schools are having a difficult time as it is getting things fixed and replaced, they don't need the added trauma of an explosion. It's just a bad idea.

The curfew begins at six from now on and there's also a "driving curfew" in addition to the ordinary one. I don't have the exact hours but I know that during several hours of the day, it's ok to be on foot but not ok to be in a car. I don't have the slightest idea how they're going to enforce that one.

Ghazi Al Yawir, our alleged current president, was giving an interview on LBC yesterday. Apparently, he and Allawi aren't on the same election list anymore because they had a falling out as to who should head the list. Ghazi proposed the president should be the head of the list and Allawi claimed somebody Shia (Allawi himself) should head the list. Now, Allawi's group is 285 on the election ballot and Yawir's group is 288, I think.

My favorite question during the interview was when the reporter asked him what he thought of Chalabi possibly being arrested. Ghazi looked flustered and a little bit unsure (apparently he hasn't been watching CNN while abroad). He actually told her that the person who claimed Chalabi was wanted was probably speaking his own "personal" opinion and that it wasn't representative of the 'government'- never mind the person in question was the Minister of Defense. To be perfectly fair, he didn't mention which government he was referring to- I couldn't tell if he was talking about the US, the UK or the current group of Puppets. He claimed that for Chalabi to be arrested there needed to be 'proof' he had actually done something wrong... the Interpol wanting him really wasn't enough.

It's a bit discouraging to watch the current government so uncoordinated. It's like they don't even communicate with each other. It's also somewhat disturbing to know that they can't seem to decide who is a criminal and who isn't. Isn't there some "idiots guide to being a good Vichy government"?

They say communications are going to be cut off very soon. Telephones are often cut off and the mobile network is sometimes inaccessible for days at a time but we heard there also might not be web access. Students have a mid-year vacation right now but no one is going anywhere. Almost everyone is trapped at home because the security situation is quite bad and no one wants to be caught in an area where an explosion might occur. If the bomb doesn't kill you, the Iraqi security forces or the Americans might and if no one kills you then you risk getting a bag over the head and a trip to Abu Ghraib.

There's an almost palpable anxiety in the air these last couple of weeks and it's beginning to wear on people- fuel shortages, water shortages and a lack of electricity. It's like the first days of the war all over again.

Juan Cole has a "The Speech Bush SHOULD have Given" and it's quite good. In my opinion, during this year's inaugral Bush could have summed it up with the following: "Ha! I can't believe you people actually re-elected me! Unbelievable! Some people just loooove the abuse!!!"
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- posted by river @ 4:29 PM
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
 

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Doc: Every time you post one of these cockamamied articles, you just make your opposition seem more and more legitimate.

There are reasoned arguments against the war and all that has gone with it, but this kind of drivel does nothing but undermine them. You need to learn to pick your battles, my friend.
 

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=columntexthead>Will Vote for Food?
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=showauthor>by Dahr Jamail</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude-->BAGHDAD - Voting in Baghdad was linked with receipt of food rations, several voters said after the Sunday poll.

Many Iraqis said Monday that their names were marked on a list provided by the government agency that provides monthly food rations before they were allowed to vote.

"I went to the voting center and gave my name and district where I live to a man," said Wassif Hamsa, a 32-year-old journalist who lives in the predominantly Shia area Janila in Baghdad. "This man then sent me to the person who distributed my monthly food ration."

Mohammed Ra'ad, an engineering student who lives in the Baya'a district of the capital city, reported a similar experience.

Ra'ad, 23, said he saw the man who distributed monthly food rations in his district at his polling station. "The food dealer, who I know personally of course, took my name and those of my family who were voting," he said. "Only then did I get my ballot and was allowed to vote."

"Two of the food dealers I know told me personally that our food rations would be withheld if we did not vote," said Saeed Jodhet, a 21-year-old engineering student who voted in the Hay al-Jihad district of Baghdad.

There has been no official indication that Iraqis who did not vote would not receive their monthly food rations.

Many Iraqis had expressed fears before the election that their monthly food rations would be cut if they did not vote. They said they had to sign voter registration forms in order to pick up their food supplies.

Their experiences on the day of polling have underscored many of their concerns about questionable methods used by the U.S.-backed Iraqi interim government to increase voter turnout.

Just days before the election, 52-year-old Amin Hajar who owns an auto garage in central Baghdad had said: "I'll vote because I can't afford to have my food ration cut … if that happened, me and my family would starve to death."

Hajar told IPS that when he picked up his monthly food ration recently, he was forced to sign a form stating that he had picked up his voter registration. He had feared that the government would use this information to track those who did not vote.

Calls to the Independent Electoral Commission for Iraq (IECI) and to the Ministry of Trade, which is responsible for the distribution of the monthly food ration, were not returned.

Other questions have arisen over methods used to persuade people to vote. U.S. troops tried to coax voters in Ramadi, capital city of the al-Anbar province west of Baghdad, to come out to vote, AP reported.


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http://www.antiwar.com/jamail/?articleid=4659
 

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Jinn: Iraqis who hadn't registered to vote (and this was a sizeable number, apparently) were to use their food ration cards from the Saddam days as identification. Alot of care was taken to give the appearance of legitimacy, even if the powers-that-occupy could actually give a shît. Certainly nobody can be held accountable, or should be surprised, even, if Iraqis thought they had to vote or else. But perception and reality are often very different.
 

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Do you mean then that even if an Iraqi hadn't voted they would still be eligible for food rations, but the powers that occupy did nothing to dissuade the notion that not voting meant the loss of rations?
 

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I thought Kenneth Blackwell was seen in Iraq, sounds like his work.



Tens of Thousands of Iraqis May Have Missed Vote, Officials Say

</NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE version="1.0" type=" ">[size=-1]By REUTERS [/size]
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Published: February 1, 2005

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AGHDAD, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Iraqis, notably in restive Sunni Arab areas, may have been denied their right to vote on Sunday because of insufficient ballots and polling centres, officials said.

Iraq began compiling election results from around the country on Tuesday after a barrage of election day attacks by Sunni militants failed to deter millions from voting.

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But officials said many Iraqis arrived late to find ballot sheets had run out, possibly skewing results for the already disgruntled minority.

Iraq's interim president Ghazi al-Yawar said extra ballots had to be supplied to Iraq's third city of Mosul, which is mainly Sunni Arab, after twice running out on election day.

"Also, tens of thousands were unable to cast their votes because of the lack of ballots in Basra, Baghdad, and Najaf," said Yawar, a Sunni Arab with a large tribal following.

Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission acknowledged that some Iraqis were unable to vote because pre-election intimidation in two Sunni Arab provinces hampered preparations.

"The elections took place under difficult conditions and this undoubtedly deprived a number of citizens in a number of areas from voting," said Hussein al-Hindawi, who heads the Commission that organised the poll.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/international/middleeast/01cnd-vote.html?ei=5089&en=d2484c7fd458d95e&ex=1265000400&adxnnl=1&partner=rssyahoo&adxnnlx=1107293805-G+9u++Kk9rmpG0g6xb6TqA
 

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[QUOTECleveland, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of voters, notably in restive Cleveland Ohio areas, may have been denied their right to vote on Sunday because of insufficient ballots and polling centres, officials said.

Ohio began compiling election results from around the country on Tuesday after a barrage of election day attacks by Rove militants failed to deter millions from voting.
[/QUOTE]
blah,blah blah blah blah
 

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JinnRikki said:
Do you mean then that even if an Iraqi hadn't voted they would still be eligible for food rations, but the powers that occupy did nothing to dissuade the notion that not voting meant the loss of rations?

Well, it might not have occured to the Yanks that people might think this way. I don't know, really. Frankly, after years under Saddam (and American cooperation and complicity), it's easy to imagine why they might be paranoid. If the Americans did know that many Iraqis believed they would lose their rations if they didn't vote, then, yes, they should have made a campaign out of it. But this still doesn't mean that their fears were actually true, which is what the article is stating.

Vote or Starve seems self-defeating enough that even Georgie the AntiChrist wouldn't engage in it ... too many election overseers to get this one by.
 

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Food rations ??? WTF.

Man, that country has a LONG way to go.

I've seen articles about how they're 'all buying satellite receivers' but no mention that the country has so little food it's running on ration cards.
 

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I can show you areas a half mile from Cambridge,Ma. with the same thing except they call it food stamps....with HD TV.
 

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eek. said:
Food rations ??? WTF.

Man, that country has a LONG way to go.

I've seen articles about how they're 'all buying satellite receivers' but no mention that the country has so little food it's running on ration cards.

It's reminiscent of the Saddam days and the oil-for-food programme. Most people have weened themselves off the ration cards, but with unemployment still around 80%, it's going to take some time for complete self-sufficiency to kick in. Plus, there's that whole matter of importing food into a war zone.
 

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