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I think the big question here is: why wasn't the election postponed a few months, in order to buy time to:
--make the country more secure
--use diplomacy/compromise to ensure as much participation as possible from the conflicted ethnic groups
--actually plan the details of the elections (sufficient ballots, etc.)
The advantages of doing this are clear. Those elected will have had the credibility and mandate they need to draft the constitution. Without that credibility there is an inherently unjust situation that invites ever more violence.
What are the disadvantages? The timing of the elections (give or take several months) shouldn't have any effect on the timing of U.S. withdrawal.
So, can anybody explain to me why it was absolutely necessary to have these elections last week? (I mean besides the obvious, to give Bush some glittering rhetoric just in time for his State of the Union Speech).
After all, the president of Iraq did want to postpone them, but Bush was adamant.
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