A number of things have come out recently that lead me to believe this administration has no idea as to how to go about instilling Democracy in Iraq. First, the plans for an Iraqi census were nixed by the CPA. This would have created a list of eligible voters for a free Iraqi election. The CPA wants caucus elections in June but torpedoed the plan to have a census done by then. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/04/international/middleeast/04CENS.html Second, it comes out this week that not only are we not going to count live Iraqis, we're also not going to count dead ones. The CPA has ordered that no more statistics be kept on Iraqi civilian deaths related to the war and also ordered that those statistics that have been compiled are not to be released. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=13&u=/ap/20031210/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_civilian_casualties_1 Third, the CPA is actively suppressing labor movements and enforcing Saddam-era labor laws. A disturbing read... http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0ea74f4207000f2a20cd2bdf4ab0e2a9 Finally, there's the embarassment of the restrictions on contracts in Iraq coming out at the same time Jim Baker is going to those countries that have been slighted to ask for forgiveness of Iraqi debt. Does one hand know what the other is doing? By the way, Canada lost folks in Afghanistan due to our mistake, which made it difficult at best to get into Iraq with soldiers, but they have still sent $190 million. They also happen to be our largest trading partner and our immediate neighbor to the north. Canada is excluded according to the DoD. Amateurs. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/international/middleeast/11PREX.html?ei=5062&en=fe4796ca7cc3b44f&ex=1071723600&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position= After coming out with the list of favored countries, there's been such an uproar, that the contracts are not being let because of a high-policy review. I never liked Jim Baker, but I do respect him and I have to believe that if any one Republican can come close to fixing this mess it's him. I have to assume he's the one behind the delay. http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2003/12/10/rtr1176453.html
