Posted on 11/24/2004 5:24:46 AM PST by OESY
...Last week in London, President Jacques Chirac admitted that getting rid of Saddam "may well have been good idea" — then added a big "but" about the wisdom of early elections in Iraq. His argument for delay was based on the claim that he wanted "broader participation" in the elections....
The camp of Saddam nostalgics, including Chirac and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, have... portrayed the hostage-takers and head-choppers who terrorize parts of Iraq as "la resistance" and insisted that they should have a place in shaping the future of the country....
With Bush re-elected, chances of sabotaging Iraq's elections vanished. But the nostalgics would not give up that easily. Their next tactic was to call for postponement in hopes that Iraq would be plunged into civil war and chaos — proving that they had been right in opposing intervention in Iraq....
By sticking to the election timetable, the new Iraqi leaders have once again shown that they will not let terrorists dictate the course of events....
With the date of elections now fixed, expect the terrorist campaign to work toward a new crescendo. Also expect Saddam nostalgics to do all they can to disrupt or discredit the process....
Iraq and its friends must also be on guard against attempts by various foreign powers to influence the elections through illegal means. Iran, for one, is channeling vast sums of money to half a dozen parties campaigning on sectarian Islamist platforms. Syria is promoting a couple of crypto-Ba'athist groups, while Turkey is investing in an openly ethnicist Turcoman outfit. Several oil-rich Gulf states are writing fat checks for a few Sunni fundamentalist groups....
The only way to defeat that coalition is to make sure that next January's elections are free and fair — and seen as such by the people of Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Sounds like they need campaign finance reform. Send in McCain!
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