Many Iraqis don't share interim prime minister's upbeat view

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi appeared before the U.S. Congress Thursday and declared that Iraq is on the right track.

His citizens, including some who work for the government, aren't as convinced.

Indeed, they're most uncertain about the very issues that Allawi assured U.S. lawmakers were increasingly under his government's control: the elections scheduled for January, the nation's infrastructure and its security.
........
But the preparations needed for the elections are enormous. Farid Ayar, a member of the eight-member Independent Electoral Commission, said recently that the commission has just begun recruiting the 70,000 workers needed to hold the elections. And it still hasn't sent out forms to families to determine who lives in each household and whether they can vote.

Nor has the committee determined how citizens can declare their candidacies or whether the committee will provide them with campaign funds.

Most citizens, Ayar said, don't even know how to vote.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9743302.htm

[comradebillyboy]

1. alawi has the views he is told to have by

ambassador negroponte.

[Eye and Monkey]

2. these nay-sayers haven't seen the latest polls from Iraq

The proportion of Iraqis who think that their country is headed in the right direction is higher than the proportion of Americans who think that their country is headed in the right direction.

Bush announced it today, and he wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. And the poll was conducted by a consulting group with the word "Republican" in its name - so you know that you can rely on its accuracy.

Uh huh. :eyes:

[whistle]

3. That is true, but there are now seven fewer such Iraqis who Allawi...

..shot in the head just before coming to visit Bush. So it appears that to disagree with Allawi can be fatal. But Iraqis are free no that Saddam is not in power.

[legally blonde]

4. I'm shocked I tell you

SHOCKED! Does this mean that Allawi is delusional about Iraq's condition, too???? Or MAYBE :think: it's because Allawi is a total tool for BushCo's propaganda. Naaaa, that can't be it.

[Darranar]

5. What a surprise! n/t

[Mr_Spock]

6. So funny on Jon on Comedy Central played a snippet of Allawi

using an exact phrase that Dumbya uses "gee, do you think they have the same speech writer" he quipped. LOL - Um, yeah, what's up with that! The guy is a useless and increasingly hated stooge for the US.

[Carolab]

7. Oh that's okay

the Diebold machines will be happy to do the votin' for ya!!

[illuminaughty]

8. Allawi said 15 out of 18 areas in Iraq could vote in an election tomorrow

Uh..ok,,,yeah
Maybe if they're gonna vote with BULLETS! Now that's an idea. One round for Chalabi, two for Allawi and so on. Whichever candidate has the least bullet riddled body wins.

Hey, maybe we can send our dream team there.

Rumsfeld runs for mayor of Baquba
Cheney gets to run (literally) in Fallujah
Bush: Sadr City!

[Columbia]

9. At least they don't have Diebold

Gotta find the silver lining somewhere.