After the Iraq election, self-congratulation abounds

[struggle4progress]

<snip> Contrary to the claims of the administration's supporters, critics of the war never opposed letting Iraqis vote. Nor did they say Iraqis lacked interest in voting. In fact, since the 2003 invasion, the chief obstacle to elections in Iraq was the Bush administration.

Under the U.S. occupation, it took nearly two years to bring about this introduction to democracy. For much of that time, the Shiite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was demanding early elections to choose a government and the American occupation authority was refusing, preferring a complicated system of regional caucuses. No one in the White House has fond memories of January 2004, when 100,000 Shiites were marching in Baghdad to protest the delay in direct elections.

The Bush administration wanted to put off a vote for several reasons. One was the supposed lack of reliable voter rolls. Another was the fear the Shiites would win and demand an Iran-style Islamic regime.

Finally, no one in the White House wanted an Iraqi election during the American presidential campaign, for fear it would go badly and impede Bush's re-election. The administration obviously had doubts about how democracy would play in Iraq. You might even say the president was defeatist. <snip>

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0502100111feb10,1,2297098.column?coll=chi-news-col