Iraqi Elections Thread

BenReilly · Dec 22, 2005

If we're looking for an American ally to rule Iraq, I have an simple solution:

Revolt · Dec 23, 2005

At least Chalabi got thumped:

The politician and onetime administration and U.S. newspaper source, Ahmed Chalabi, "appears to have suffered a humiliating defeat at the recent Iraq polls," NBC News reports today, according to the uncertified preliminary results.

It said that preliminary results in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad indicate that Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress scored a minuscule 0.36 percent of the votes.

In the Shiite city of Basra, the results indicate Chalabi, the current deputy prime minister who some neocons thought might soon head the country, had an equally dismal showing of 0.34 percent of the vote. In the Sunni province of Anbar, 113 people voted for him.

"The election results in Iraq may present Chalabi’s ardent U.S. supporters with a quandary: Chalabi, as well as other losing candidates, is alleging fraud in the election, even though the Bush administration hailed the vote as a historic step for democracy in Iraq," NBC reports. Indeed, the country is now in political turmoil over this.

During the election, Chalabi’s campaign posters proclaimed, "We Liberated Iraq."

Just last month, with the help of major U.S. lobbyists, he toured this country, meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and appeared widely on American television
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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001737109

Knave · Dec 23, 2005

Mani said:

Iran's victory revealed in Iraq election
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So, in a word, the United States was Iran's unwitting (and unpaid) mercenary.

obie · Dec 23, 2005

Revolt said:

At least Chalabi got thumped:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001737109
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Having direct ties to the Bush Administration is not considered a political advantage in Iraq right now.

Really, if the Iraqi elections themselves were the big global story of 2005, the Shi'a theocracy / Kurdistan that's going to be formed will be the big global story of 2006.

stopper4 · Dec 24, 2005

obie said:

Having direct ties to the Bush Administration is not considered a political advantage in Iraq right now.

Really, if the Iraqi elections themselves were the big global story of 2005, the Shi'a theocracy / Kurdistan that's going to be formed will be the big global story of 2006.
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Talibani

Allawi

Barzani

Like I posted much earlier in the thread, the election results don't matter nearly as much as the coalitions that form after the elections.

Sadr's people and Iran's people have never gotten along in the past. It is very reasonable to speculate whether or not their current honeymoon will last.

Chris M. · Dec 24, 2005

stopper4 said:

Sadr's people and Iran's people have never gotten along in the past. It is very reasonable to speculate whether or not their current honeymoon will last.
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I pretty dangerous friggin game we have unleashed though, don't you think.

Sometimes democracy doesn't "march" in the direction we want it to.