It has been a tumultuous period for elections around the world, with Ukraine and even the U.S. showing a heated and fractured run for the Presidency. With the Iraq elections coming up in the next two months, the trend continues to look bleak. The CIA assessment that was leaked out does nothing to assuage my doubts that the elections will do anything to improve the outlook in Iraq.
The Bush Administration has pointed towards this event as a vital marker towards a free and democratic Iraq. Already there are doubts about the legitimacy and effectiveness that any elections will have. What if, lord help us, we have another situation similar to Kiev? Will Americans continue to put up with the way the administration has tried to deal with Iraq? Will the UN and the rest of the world? Will the Bush faction paint more rose-colored scenarios, saying that things are okay?
Despite what I or anyone thinks of how Bush is handling things, we all need for something good to come out of Iraq. A sliver of hope and optimism. But if the elections crumble into ineffective shambles, Bush and America will lose a major foothold on the claim to "effectiveness" and "progress". It could get ugly in terms of the world perception, as well as the reactions within an already polarized U.S.
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