How to Win an Election Without Really Trying

The hammer has fallen and Iraq will be voting for a president on January 30th. Great news, right? And on January 31st they’ll be a full functioning example of a Middle East Democracy, right? Well….

First of all, who are the candidates? Allawi, um, hmm…. Any more? I did a Google search and found absolutely nothing. How about those political parties? None.

We hear all this talk about the election and freedom bein’ on the march but what is a democracy if you only have one choice at the polls? It’s probably not a democracy.

Secondly, there’s a little over two months until voting. Please tell me who in their right mind believes that this is enough time for the televised debates between the wide array of candidates, the whistle-stop tours and the grand rallies to take place? Oh those aren’t taking place?... Hmm.

I guess the simple point I’m trying to make is that if people think their watching democracy in action, they’ve been sadly misled.

“Well, it’s better than what it was like under Saddam!”

To people who say that, I’d point to the third paragraph in this little post. We’re supposedly delivering Democracy to Iraq. Democracy is about choice and, let’s be honest, there isn’t going to be another real choice on the ballot than Ayad Allawi because that’s the way WE want it. How does anyone expect any real, political force besides Allawi to be allowed to emerge in two months time? Anyone that stands up for the Iraqi people that hasn’t been hand selected by BushCo is labeled a terrorist. It’s a joke.

“But they're free to vote for whoever they want!”

Sure they can write Donald Duck in but before that ballot gets counted it’s opened and tossed in the trash. And then on the way home they dodge bullets and bombs. And on the 31st, they’ll still be under US control and dodging bullets and bombs.

So let’s watch together as the media and Bush try to tell us something different. It’ll be a good example of propaganda in action.