Bush, Allawi Discuss Upcoming Iraq Vote

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050125/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq&cid=544&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) discussed the upcoming Iraqi national elections on Tuesday with interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, the latest in a series of consultations with Iraqi leaders ahead of Sunday's polling.


They talked about election preparations and "about how the election will be a historic moment for the Iraqi people," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.


The call lasted about five minutes, McClellan said. He said the two leaders, in particular, talked about security preparations and Allawi's efforts to reach out to all sectors of Iraqi society to vote, including minority Sunni Iraqis, many of whom have pledged to boycott the elections.


The vote this coming Sunday to pick a 275-member National Assembly is an important test for Bush's mission to spread democracy through the Middle East, and comes amid continuing fierce fighting between police and insurgents seeking to derail the elections.


"We're going to do all we can to support the Iraqi people as they move forward on building a democratic and peaceful future," McClellan said.

[saigon68]

1. The Chimp to Puppet Allawi-- "No problem Mon you just won the Selection"

Preordained

[htuttle]

2. This story is pure PR bullshit

A story on yahoo about a phone call full of happy talk. Not a single piece of real information in the whole thing -- all of it is for the sake of image management and 'branding'.

(no offense to the poster of it and no problem with it being posted here -- just a problem with it's very existence).

[leftchick]

6. no offense taken....

this is probably the script for the TV 'news' shows tonight. US propaganda in its purest form.

[VegasWolf]

3. Wasn't there a story about sovereignty at one time? n/t

[Benhurst]

4. They might as well just go ahead and tell who's been selected --

no use having the poor Iraqis risk their lives to cast votes which won't be counted anyway.

[daleo]

5. How many votes would you like to win by, Allawi?

A - Well, let's not stretch credulity too badly. How does 10% sound?

B - That sounds good. Consider it done.

[yellowcanine]

7. "Listen Ayad, if you want to be sure of winning you have to talk to my

brother Jebbie. He knows every way there is to rig an election. Do the words 'convicted felon', 'absentee ballot', 'butterfly ballot', and 'voter suppression' mean anything to you?"