Posted on 08/07/2004 1:36:44 PM PDT by wagglebee
WASHINGTON – When 13 Democratic members of the U.S. Congress asked United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to send election monitors to the U.S. this fall, the move outraged many Republicans and other proponents of national sovereignty.
When those same 13 Democratic members of Congress were turned down by Annan, they took their request to Secretary of State Colin Powell – again to the shock of many Republicans and those who warn about foreign entanglements.
Yesterday, those 13 Democratic House members got their surprising answer from the State Department – the administration will indeed invite foreign election monitors to observe the U.S. elections in November.
Assistant Secretary of State Paul V. Kelly, who handles legislative affairs for the department, affirmed the invitation this week in a letter to the 13 House members. They had requested U.N. monitors for this year's elections in an effort to avoid the charges of voting irregularities that plagued the 2000 election, the closest in history.
Now, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the largest regional organization in the world with 55 participating nations, will monitor the U.S. election on Nov. 2. Members include Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain and the United States.
"OSCE members, including the United States, agreed in 1990 in Copenhagen to allow fellow members to observe elections in one another's countries," Kelly wrote. "Consistent with this commitment, the United States has already invited the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the November 2, 2004, presidential elections."
The congressional initiative was spearheaded by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas. She asked Powell to make an official request that the U.N. provide observers for the Nov. 2 elections in the United States to "ensure free and fair elections."
Previously, the 13 Democratic congressmen, led by Johnson, sent a letter July 8 to the U.N. general secretary requesting the presence of U.N. representatives in every county of the country during the voting process and any vote recount afterwards.
The U.N. immediately responded that such a request could not be accepted unless it came from the U.S. government. Otherwise, a spokesman said, it could be considered"intervention in a country's sovereignty."
"As legislators, we should guarantee the American people that our country will not experience another nightmare like the 2000 presidential elections," the members of Congress said in their letter to Annan.
In her letter to Powell, Johnson expressed grave concerns regarding electoral system reforms that were not undertaken after the 2000 election.
Recalling the contentious Florida vote count in 2000, the lawmakers urged the U.N. to "ensure free and fair elections in America."
"As lawmakers, we must assure the people of America that our nation will not experience the nightmare of the 2000 presidential election," Johnson said in the letter. "This is the first step in making sure that history does not repeat itself."
Meanwhile, Rep. Corrine Brown, a Florida Democrat, announced that the Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has confirmed that it will be present in the United States – specifically, in Florida – on Election Day.
However, state election authorities in Florida have already announced that such observers are not to be allowed access to the voting process and, in any case, they would have to remain at a distance of more than 50 feet from the polls.
Besides Johnson, the congressional signers to the original U.N. letters included Julia Carson of Indiana, Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns, Joseph Crowley and Carolyn B. Maloney, all of New York, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Corrine Brown of Florida, Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, Danny K. Davis of Illinois, and Michael M. Honda and Barbara Lee of California.
I think Jimmy Carter is one of Kofi Annan's leftist idiots.
Someone please tell me this is NOT true!
Yeah, I guess you're right.
It won't be the UN. FOX news said that there would be some UN personell but the group is part of a European watchdog group.
Actually it's kind of interesting that he's doing it at all. It tells me that the president is expecting some dirty tricks and is heading the democrats off.
You know since it's always the rats which are cheating this could be a politically smart move on the administrations part.
I would love to see some of the rats operatives busted by the UN for voter fraud.
It is called pre-emption. Now Kerry can only agree...he cant take a stand without saying that he does not think that the election should be monitored which we all know he wont and cant.
Good move by the Prez....
It's the democrats that do the election fraud thing...this is maybe a smart move; less room for them to shriek down the line. Also, maybe even a little less possibility for 'Rat shenanigans.
What if the RATS pay off the UN watchdogs? TerAYsa has a bottomless purse, and God knows the Euroweenies want Kerry to win.
And being asked makes it non-intervention?
The UN members lick their chops at ANY opportunity to get a hand in the pants of the US' business.
Bloggers, other non-establishment media, and concerned citizens should subject the individual backgrounds of these "impartial" Euros to a comprehensive investigation. Business ties to Castro, Saddam, or Soros should be special objects of attention, as should membership in fifth column dhimmi-groups ("Doctors without Borders" etc.) and ties to the enemy media (Reuters, Al-Jazeerah, the British National Union of Journalists, etc.).
Especially in Chicago where even dead Democrats vote over and over.
They should be allowed to stand over the folks counting ballots and do random cross checks to ensure no dead people vote, only eligible people vote, and only once in one balloting place.
I wonder how many votes the Rats would lose if EVERYTHING were fair and proper?
As corrupted as many elections have become worlwide, it would be a good idea to have disinterested parties supervising every election.
Well said -- and, unfortunately, true.
How dangerously ironic that these people slam the idea of the US courts getting involved, questioning their purpose in doing so in '00 but fully welcome foreigners with open arms to do the same.
Politics in this country of ours is more ominous than one can perceive.
Hillary's rather frequent visits to Europe are paying off.
I don't care how the media spins this, this is the UN. Go to the UN website and click on human rights, then search OCSE and ODIHR. These organizations are just special elections departments of the UN.
Then you better not vote I guess.
Would one be totally out of line in thinking that Dubya responding to this with a "Cram it where the sun don't shine for our elections are none of your business" would be more appropriate?
This is a joke, right? Please tell me this is a sick joke, please!!!
Is there any way to substantiate this?
I've heard that its been on Fox News already.
Monitor or observe?
You are right. This is the specialty departments of the UN. Go to the UN website and click on human rights then search for OSCE and OIRHD and see for yourself. Bush has called for the UN to monitor our elections in a round about way.
Instead of Bush calling for more Americans to help at the polling booths, he call on foreigners. This really sucks.
What will the 'Rats do when GWB's election victory is certified and approved (although reluctantly) by none other than their beloved, precious UN? "But they, um, er, stole, the election because Cheney and his Haliburton cronies bribed UN officials, yeah, that's it ... "
I'm having a real problem dealing with this! The dam UN has no place in our elections.. foreign governments have no place in our elections! Dam it, this is NOT some third world country. It's The United States of America. We should send those Democrats to some other place than our Congress. It's a discrace and so is the response from our State Department, if it's true.
Pre-emption my foot. It is called bowing to the Democrats. This is the UN.
How many times have you read that Germany, France, ect. hate Americans especiallly conservatives? Now, they are going to monitor our elections. Tell me where this is a smart move.
As first I was shocked and outraged…but this could get interesting and blow up big on the Dem… as there the one that are famous for trying to rig election and buying voted… and where are these monitor most likely to be but in the major urban centers the Dem strong hold…remember ever major "irregularity" in 2000 was in Dem controlled district…..
The Dem were showboating calling for UN monitor they never really expected to get it… calling the big BS bluff could end up being the Democrats worst nightmare....
It would all depend it tha monitor are half way honest or just a bunch of left wing internationalist a—holes
Ugh!...:(
Why is Bush doing this? He's not going to get ONE vote from this.
Will they monitor the elections in Chicago, St Louis and other Democratic bastions of election fraud? No. They will select whatever battleground the Democrats tell them to.
Overarching theme: everyone one in the world, especially Europe, wants us reduced to a second-class or even third-class power. Most of the world is Socialist (complete with the usual Socialist illnesses of massive pollution and repression) and would love nothing more than to extinguish the center of capitalism in the world. So, the rest of the world will be more than glad to slam the Republicans and Bush.
I agree. He'll lose Conservative & Republican votes IMHO!
I probably won't vote.
Good luck on your vote counting especially if your polling place is observed by the French.
They are not here to "audit" the election as the Dems want.
They did the same thing in 2002
This is part of a 1990 agreement so it isn't something that has been pulled out of thin air.
And exactly what can they do? It is not as if they are going to sway any vote to one or the other...
It is a great strategic move. It takes away a Democrat position from them and effectively nullifies any complaints that can be raised by them (again). Tell me you dont see that!!!!
And from where will the Useless Nations draw their monitors? Let's see: there's always Cuba. We wouldn't have to pay much for their travel. How about Iran? They've had plenty of successful elections. Gabon? Dr. AlHaji Omar Bongo is just about finished with his 25 year term as president; I'm sure he was duly elected. The Sudan? Yet another shining example of trustworthy moslems. I sure hope W knows what he's doing on this.
So true.
In many overwhelmingly Democratic inner city precincts, there are no Republican watchdogs (poll captains) to monitor the voting booths.
Many cities, such as PHiladelphia, are essentially controlled by the Democratic Party in conjunction with union leaders.
Can't remember where I read it, but supposedly there was a 110 percent voter participation (voted Dem, of course) in some precincts in Philly in 2000.
On the other hand, is this one of Joe's anti-Republican moments? Hmmm. I'll take it with a huge grain of salt and check other news on it to see if there's a "gotcha" somewhere in this.
It is NOT the U.N.
This a joke right? Whichever party is responsible for inviting the UN into our electoral process is a party that will never get my vote for any office.
Sorry, COEX, but anytime my president stoops to the level of inviting foreigners to watch us do the election dance, I have to protest.
If foreigners want to learn how it works, they can hire people from our country to go THERE and show 'em.
Just one thing. It was the "State Department" that invited them although I don't know if they had much of a choice. The 1990 agreement allows any party of observe any other. And unless Bush ordered it himself, then most likely was a decision by State, not the President himself.
They should monitor and make sure all the polls close at the time they are supposed to close, and that only citizens are allowed to vote in our elections and only one vote. And that they are properly registered to vote and all that. It's kind of sad that our elections really have become more filled with fraud than countries like Mexico's are --- where the IFE card must be presented and non-citizens are never allowed to vote.
Well, I might have to alter my reaction, but if any of these foreigners are from American-hating regions, I'd tell them to shove off.
The first time, the Europeans. The second time the U.N. Thank you so much President Bush for opening this door.
The election process of the United States of America is an internal affair. Now we let the likes of the French in to evaluate us.
I couldn't be more disappointed in a president 'supposed to be' a conservative.
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