Journalists From Major Media Outlets Take Iraqi "Election" Seriously (Moron Alert!)

Lots of journalists from major media outlets decided to take the Iraqi “election” seriously, treating it as something more than a sham and using it as an opportunity to highlight “genuine” celebrations by Iraqi citizens of Hussein’s leadership. In broadcast network stories on Tuesday night, only CBS’s Tom Fenton noted how “a UN human rights report said 500 people were jailed in the last referendum after casting a negative ballot.”

That same night on ABC’s World News Tonight, David Wright observed what occurred seven years ago and the made an incredible claim of naivete: “Seven years ago, when the last referendum took place, Saddam Hussein won 99.96 percent of the vote. Of course, it is impossible to say whether that's a true measure of the Iraqi people's feelings.”

“Impossible to say whether that's a true measure of the Iraqi people's feelings”?

Wednesday morning on Today, news reader Soledad O'Brien stressed how it was a one-candidate election, but heralded how Hussein had “won” another term and assigned doubt about the election’s credibility to the Bush administration, as if it were just another issue on which the Bush team has a differing view of no greater credibility: "It is no surprise but Saddam Hussein won another seven-year term in Iraq yesterday. It was a one-man election. An Iraqi official says Saddam got 100 percent of the vote, setting off celebrations in Baghdad. The Bush administration says the vote lacks any credibility."

Later, in story from Baghdad, informed viewers could discern the phoniness, but reporter Keith Miller treated the charade as something real enough to take seriously: “It's official yet still unbelievable! Saddam Hussein re-elected to another seven-year term as President in a referendum where he got 100 percent of the vote! The celebrations were genuine, but already the validity of the vote is being questioned. The Bush administration dismissed the vote as not credible.”

Miller relayed the propaganda line: “The government used the referendum to boost loyalty at a time of diplomatic crisis. And by recording a unanimous vote for Saddam pollsters show that the Iraqi people reject President Bush's demand for a regime change.”

The night before Miller trumpeted how Hussein had won in a “landslide” and that though “nearly 12 million eligible voters were required to cast ballots,” one man he highlighted “needed no encouragement. He was overjoyed to vote for Saddam, saying, 'We made Clinton dizzy. Wait until you see what we do to Bush.'”

The ABC and NBC stories followed some cheerleading from CNN, as related in the October 15 CyberAlert: A plug for American Morning with Paula Zahn on CNN’s Web site promised a look at how “Iraqi citizens are preparing to go to the polls to decide whether Hussein stays in office.” The story which actually aired acknowledged that he’s the only name on the ballot, but fill-in host Carol Costello nonetheless stressed how in the days before the big vote “the mood on the street” in Iraq “is more festive than afraid.” Reporter Nic Robertson passed along how “students at Baghdad's fine arts school, too young to vote in the last referendum in 1995, appear eager now.” For details:
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20021015.asp#2

The “Best of the Web” column ( www.opinionjournal.com/best ) on Tuesday passed along some other examples from print of reporters insisting upon treating it as a real election.

James Taranto wrote: “Iraq is holding a sham election today, in which citizens 'vote’ on whether Saddam Hussein should serve another seven years as president. Under the watchful eye of Saddam's thugs, these 'voters’ must sign their names to the 'ballots,’ and any who dare vote 'no’ can expect to be executed. It's a mystery why Western news organizations insist on portraying this as if it were an actual election.”

+ "Iraq Says 'Yes' to Saddam; Voters Show Support as U.S. Threat Mounts" -- headline, MSNBC.com, Oct. 15

+ "Iraqis Urged to Back Hussein 100%" -- headline, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 15

+ "Although President Saddam Hussein faces no challenger in Tuesday's presidential referendum, the government is pushing for the highest percentage of 'yes' votes to paint Saddam as a popular leader in a rebuke to the United States." -- lead paragraph, Associated Press dispatch, Oct. 15

+ “Reuters leads off its 'report’ with this ludicrous statement: 'Defiant Iraqis lined up to show their support for Saddam Hussein Tuesday as Western powers were deadlocked over how to deal with the veteran leader they say threatens world security.’ A captive people does a dictator's bidding under threat of death -- only in Reuterville could anyone call this 'defiant.’”

+ “Worst of all is the Los Angeles Times. Reporter Michael Slackman's article carries the headline 'For Iraqis, Vote for Hussein Is an Exercise in Democracy.’ 'Of course the outcome is preordained,’ Slackman acknowledges. 'But then, so is Western reaction’ -- as if making a mockery of democracy were morally equivalent to recognizing that someone's made a mockery of democracy.”

The October 15 Los Angeles Times story, headlined “For Iraqis, Vote for Hussein Is an Exercise in Democracy,” began:

Veteran high school history teacher Saladin Fadahl proudly sports a Saddam Hussein pin on his shirt pocket and wants the whole world to know that he loves his president very dearly.

Going even further, Ahmed Abdul Latif, 30, said he wants the world to know that Iraq is a democracy and not the dictatorship that President Bush has made it out to be. It is a place where everyone is free -- free "to show love for the president."

They are among the 11 million eligible voters who will be asked to demonstrate that love by casting their ballots today in support of Hussein's leadership -- or against it. Officials are very serious about the referendum and hopeful it will spread a message around the world that Iraqis choose to live under an iron fist.

"I know in the West, maybe it does not mean anything," said Saad Naji Jawad, a political science professor at Baghdad University.

Western diplomats and academics said many Iraqis sincerely believe an overwhelming yes vote will show popular support for keeping Hussein in power. The referendum also serves to rally the public at a time when war with the United States appears ever more likely.

"In their view they will show the world they are in unity," one European diplomat said. But outside of Iraq, "everybody will laugh."...

But a lot of Western journalists aren’t laughing. They’re boosting the propaganda effort.

CyberAlert can add to Taranto’s rundown with some examples from television. The three worst I’ve seen, in addition to the CNN story recounted in the October 15 CyberAlert linked above, are the ABC and NBC stories briefly quoted earlier above. Here’s more from each:

-- Peter Jennings introduced the story on the October 15 World News Tonight: “There was a national referendum in Iraq today. The proposition was whether to give Saddam Hussein another seven years as President. Nearly 12 million Iraqis were eligible to vote. The outcome was not in doubt. ABC's David Wright reports from Baghdad.”

     Wright began: “In some ways, election day in Iraq looked a lot like its American counterpart. But there were some obvious differences, too. Outside, throngs of enthusiastic supporters. Inside, voters picked up their ballots, recorded their choice behind a screen, and dropped the completed form into the slot. The ballot, one question, do you agree to re-elect President Saddam Hussein?”
     An Iraqi man insisted that Iraqis had a real choice: “Here yes, and here no. He may choose no, and he may choose yes.”
     Wright asked: “Up to them?”
     The man replied: “Yes, up to them.”

Over video of a ballot box with a photo on its side of Saddam Hussein inside a red heart shape, Wright continued: “For many, the choice was as clear as the decorations on the ballot box.”
A second Iraqi man proclaimed: “With my blood, not with pencil or pen, I write with my blood to Saddam Hussein, our President.”

Wright then recalled Hussein’s amazing popularity in 1995 before expressing befuddlement over whether that really represented what Iraqis feel: “Seven years ago, when the last referendum took place, Saddam Hussein won 99.96 percent of the vote. Of course, it is impossible to say whether that's a true measure of the Iraqi people's feelings.”

Wright moved on: “This is Kerbala, one of several Shia Muslim strongholds that rebelled against Saddam after the Gulf War. If there were anyplace in Iraq where people might be tempted to vote no, it's here. We did see one man actually mark no on his form. But when we asked him about it afterwards, he told the Iraqi official who was translating for us that he voted yes. In Baghdad, the Iraqi leader's eldest son, Uday, showed up in a red Bentley to cast his vote. But his father made no public appearances, and hasn't for nearly two years.”

     -- NBC’s Today, October 16. News reader Soledad O'Brien set up a piece by relaying how Hussein had “won” another term: "As for Saddam Hussein he has won another term as Iraq's President after getting all the votes in an election on Tuesday. He was the only candidate on the ballot. NBC's Keith Miller has more from Baghdad this morning. Keith good morning to you."
     Miller, MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens noticed, checked in with a report that an informed viewer could see was expressing doubt about the vote’s legitimacy but which a naive viewer night take as a serious recounting of a Hussein victory in a real election, an assumption complicated by how Miller emphasized how “the celebrations were genuine.” He enthused:
     "Good morning Soledad. It's official yet still unbelievable! Saddam Hussein re-elected to another seven-year term as President in a referendum where he got 100 percent of the vote! Government officials appeared serious when they announced the historic results of the election. Saddam's right-hand man Izat Ibrahim said 100 percent of those eligible to vote did so. And all 11, 440,638 eligible voters went to the polls with one thought: Yes to Saddam Hussein! The government proclaimed it a victory of light over darkness, good over evil. It seemed more like a political miracle.
     “On the streets it was like Saddam won the mother of all elections. The celebrations were genuine, but already the validity of the vote is being questioned. The Bush administration dismissed the vote as not credible. You won't hear any criticism here. State-run television ran patriotic programming non-stop. The government used the referendum to boost loyalty at a time of diplomatic crisis. And by recording a unanimous vote for Saddam pollsters show that the Iraqi people reject President Bush's demand for a regime change. Parliament will administer the oath of office later today, reportedly in private, because Saddam Hussein has not been seen in public in Iraq since last December. Soledad."

     -- The night before, on the October 15 NBC Nightly News, Miller trumpeted: “The ballots are still being counted tonight, but there's no doubt about the result. A landslide. Saddam Hussein will win another seven-year term as President. Nearly 12 million eligible voters were required to cast ballots. But this man needed no encouragement. He was overjoyed to vote for Saddam, saying, 'We made Clinton dizzy. Wait until you see what we do to Bush.' Saddam's son Uday, surrounded by security, delivered his ballot from a Rolls Royce. Turnout in Baghdad was heavy and appeared unanimous...”
     “In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, 90 miles north of Baghdad, some people marked their ballot with blood, a symbolic act of defiance against American threats to attack Iraq. The referendum has turned into a campaign opposing president Bush's demand for regime change.”
     Iraqi man: “We are the only people that are not afraid of America, who say to Americans, 'No, stop! Stop!'”
     Miller concluded from Baghdad: “If there is any fear of an invasion, you can't see it on the streets. No soldiers, no sand bags, and so apparent run on food supplies. At the al-Zawahi Café, people seem more concerned about dominos. Tonight, the vote count. Loud and clear. 'Yes, yes and yes.' There will be no call for a recount. The only suspense tonight, how much of a yes vote Saddam will win. In the last referendum, he won 99.96 percent of the vote. He hopes to do better.”

It would be nice if the U.S. media would do a better job of resisting Iraq propaganda ploys about overwhelming public support fort Hussein in a nation in which people are not allowed to express any other view and lack the informational foundation on which to base their opinions.

Shame on Bush. According to these journalists, he is a killjoy for casting aspersions upon the credibility of the Iraqi election.

"Saddam's right-hand man Izat Ibrahim said 100 percent of those eligible to vote did so. "

Here is the amazing part. Real amazing. Nobody was sick? Out of town? Forgot? Dead?

We are talking about 11,000,000 + people. It is impossible to keep the poll records correctly up-to-date with that many people. Any recent deaths would still be on the list and would have to be counted as not voting.

What a bogus fraud.

Here is the amazing part. Real amazing. Nobody was sick? Out of town? Forgot? Dead?

According to our journalists this sounds reasonable.

Western Liberal journalists froth at the mouth at the idea of a dem winning the US Presidency with 100% turnout/100% of the vote. They wish for the day this be so.

ROTFL! At this point these broadcast "journalists" are just making idiots of themselves. They aren't fooling anybody anymore.

These people have been taught not to judge anyone, or anything. So naturally they can't tell a scrupulously fair election from a outrageously rigged one.

We did see one man actually mark no on his form. But when we asked him about it afterwards, he told the Iraqi official who was translating for us that he voted yes.

You can be sure this guy is well below room temperature right now. David Wright of ABC can congratulate himself for that -- as if he cares.

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