Former President Carter questions Iraqi elections

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15105533.htm

LOS ANGELES, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday expressed strong misgivings about Iraqi elections next month and said there was not enough security in the country for a free and safe vote.

Carter, whose nonpartisan Carter Center has monitored more than 50 elections around the world, told Reuters he would not be involved in observing the Jan. 30 vote and was not optimistic about the situation in Iraq.

"I think the whole Iraqi situation has been a debacle, a very costly one. I don't see how all the rudimentary requirements for a free and safe election can be achieved in another month. How can anyone campaign? How can anyone go and vote without fear?," he said in an interview.

"They might contrive some substitute for an orthodox election by having the vote take place over several weeks or in certain little spots scattered about Iraq and not in the troubled areas.

"But there is not enough security there in my opinion to have a legitimate election. I hope I am wrong and that they have some success," he added.

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[Liberty Belle]

1. Why isn't he critizing credibility of OUR elections?

[Maple]

2. Being a Democrat

would anyone see him as objective?

[Liberty Belle]

3. He has the status to attract media attention globally.

Not only is he an ex-prez, he's monitored elections all over the world--and he's highly respected by most people.

He could draw attention to the fraud, if he'd speak out.
Since he's not currently in office or running for anything, I don't see what he'd have to lose.

[hootinholler]

9. Especially the church going crowd...

with his work with Habitat For Humanity.

Good Idea.

-Hoot

[Liberty Belle]

12. How aware is Carter of the fraud? I doubt he surfs the net.

Perhaps we should send him some pertinent links and urge him to become a spokesperson for halting the coronation of a thief.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

13. He was on PBS and Hardball last week - and was slamming

the commander in thief. It was interesting, because he is usually so diplomatic (not that I minded - I thought it rocked!) :)

[tsuki]

5. He did, before the election. He said Florida was ready for a

repeat of the 2000 election. He was roasted on NPR here.

[Voltaire99]

6. He already has done so.

Use Google. Nothing shocking--just "concerns" he raised prior to November.

But Carter is about as outspoken a force in the present Democratic machine as you will find, which is to say: hardly outspoken enough. Parties that divide the loot in our duopoly can still be profitable even when they're losing, which is primarily why there is no great hue and cry about GOP cheating. You'll have to look outside the party to reformers if you're looking for that.

[zann725]

15. My thought exactly!

How can he spend more time assuring other elections are 'fair,' yet turn away at home? I'm quite disappointed in him. He WAS one of my favorite Presidents.

[fshrink]

4. The funny thing is

that it's "non-partisan" when it's somewhere in the "third world", but becomes partisan, obviously, when it's about here. It's like crying for Iranian women while the guy next door beats up his wife. Amazing the number of progressive figures who lose credibility these days... Should leave room for new, and hopefully braver, ones.

[Selatius]

7. Carter is a man of his word

He did excellent work monitoring the elections in Venezuela. It was a top-notch job. It's a damn shame the US elections weren't as monitored by the international community as that one was, but then again, many poll watchers were prevented from doing any real monitoring.

[zann725]

16. They DID have International observers here. Not a lot, but some.

n/t

[rockedthevoteinMA]

8. I heard he had said that our elections wouldn't meet the

standards in a third world country...pretty sad huh? (secondhand f/my mom who heard it on NPR) :eyes:

[Selatius]

10. I'll vouch for that

He complained how there were no real standards as far as elections were concerned, no uniform national standard. As a result, you have problems with voter disenfranchisement just due to poor structure, nevermind the intentional fraud on top of that. The poorest neighborhoods often got the crappiest voting equipment.

[VegasWolf]

11. That's because Jimmy was a sane president. n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

14. kick

[struggle4progress]

17. kick

:kick: