The President of Iraq's Message to Americans

[lehighguy]

Not much different then our own. Or most democracies. In fact, I would guess they were much better informed about the issues pertinient to them compared to Americans.

More importantly, there is no evidence to support your claim Bush appointed him.

[cardcounter0]

In Iraq people voted in order to get food aid.
In America it is illegal to offer incentives for people to vote.

In Iraq many of the people had no idea who they were voting for.
By no idea, I mean no idea. The candidates were chosen and kept secret. Some Candidates weren't listed.
Do you think in America people went into a polling both and had to decide between Bush and Kerry without ever hearing or knowing about either one?

In Iraq The candidates were not allowed to campaign.
Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones, you don't know either one, didn't know about either one, and neither one has said a word before the election. Imagine the American elections without the Not-So-Swift Boat Vets for Bush.

In Iraq Some places the ballots merely had numbers instead of names. Number 103 or Number 47, please hurry up, lots of people are waiting to vote. I believe in America most ballots are clearly marked, although some Floridians are too stupid to know how to use them.

But yeah, The Iraq elections were JUST like the elections here. I think Diebold counted the votes in Iraq.

[sam h]

[ QUOTE ]
Above all, American forces provide Iraq with a much-needed deterrence capability. In the past, Iraq sought an illusory security through the follies of aggression, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Today, our external security comes from our alliance with the United States. Our neighbors can thereby be assured that we will settle all of our differences with them peacefully.

Sadly, some of our neighbors have chosen not to understand this. They seem either unwilling or unable to shut off the pipeline of terrorists crossing into Iraq. And in addition to what is at least passive support for the terrorists, some of them are providing financial and material support to them, too. They must desist from this behavior now.

While the problem of some of our neighbors supporting terrorism is bad enough, we can only imagine what our neighbors might have done if American troops had not been present. Most likely, Iraq would have been transformed into a regional battlefield with disastrous consequences for Middle Eastern and global security.

[/ QUOTE ]

Most of this article is just yadda, yadda, yadda. But I think this part is very interesting. The line wbetween the war against the insurgency and a Shiite war against the Sunnis in Iraq will likely get increasingly blurry over the next year. And the stances of both Iran and the Sunni nations surrounding Iraq will be very interesting to see.

[Cyrus]

It'll soon get to the point where responses to neo-con claptrap will be numbered - and neo-con claptrap shall be dispensed with instructions to go look up the appropriate number.

Here's your number:

Talabani is completely correct in what he says, in the article. FOR HIS PEOPLE!

Talabani is a tribal leader, and a worthy leader too, as far as the tribe's interests are concerned. The interests of the Kurds, at this point in History, happen to coincide completely with the American interests in Iraq.

The Kurds have been persecuted by the Turks for decades. Once upon a time (and for a long time!) the Kurds were targeting Americans in Turkey because the US had allied itself totally with Ankara's fight against Kurdish separatism. Washington had even declared officially that most Kurdish independence military movements were terrorist.

Those days are gone. Ankara refused entry to US troops to invade Iraq from the north. The Kurds, long persecuted also by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and ethnically cleansed from many northern areas, have helped the American troops enormously. There must not be practically a single Kurd among the insurgents in Iraq! And the prospetcs of a federalised, power-sharing Iraq is a God-sent for Kurds -- it will be the first step ever taken towards Kurdish autonomy, even if within another state.

Therefore, Talabani, a Kurd who made president (something unthinkable before the Americans were to invade!), is saying all the right things to the American people. What he says is correct. What he says is entirely to the interests of his people.

Remains to be seen whether or not what Talabani wants ("Americans, please don't leave!") is to the interests of the United States. Don't touch that dial.

[lehighguy]

So is your claim that this man was appointed by Bush. That the election was purposely rigged.

[cardcounter0]

Here. Engage at least one or two brain cells and answer this question:

[ QUOTE ]
Do you honestly think that with everything at stake, and all the contracts and money at risk, Bush just rolled the dice and *prayed* they would elect the right guy?


[/ QUOTE ]

[lehighguy]

They choose religous clerics. I was under the believe we were dissapointed with the election results. The success of the Sistani ticket really didn't require any help. After all thier opponent boycotted the election.

[MMMMMM]

[ QUOTE ]
I guess you have no knowledge of how the Iraq elections were run ... figures.

Do you honestly think that with everything at stake, and all the contracts and money at risk, Bush just rolled the dice and *prayed* they would elect the right guy?
hahahahahahaha!

[/ QUOTE ]

According to your description elsewhere in this thread, the Iraqi people had no idea for whom they were voting; they didn't know the candidates prior to the election; and in some places just voted for numbers instead of for names.

So, according to YOUR OWN description, they just rolled the dice. Hard to believe Bush has powers of telekinesis strong enough to control a craps throw halfway across the world.

[cardcounter0]

And who was the boxman calling the roll?
[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[lehighguy]

So your specific charge is that the votes where counted incorrectly. If you reply yes I'll try to find sources pertaining to that claim.