Election engineering II

Voting blind

Washington Post, As Talks Continue, Many Iraqis Lack Copy of Charter:

As outraged would-be voters protested at still not being shown copies of Iraq's proposed constitution, U.S. and Arab diplomats bore down on Sunnis, Shiites and Kurdish leaders Monday in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone to make last-ditch changes to the charter that would overcome Sunni opposition.

Not unlike the parliamentary election last January when names of candidates were not revealed to the electorate & fear was pervasive, Iraqis are being asked to vote for a new constitution most have not seen, in a climate of fear and violence. Meanwhile U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad from his post in Saddam's old fortress conducts insider ``consultations'' during ``a sit-down dinner to break the daily fast of the holy month of Ramadan'' and ``gatherings where Arab leaders exerted behind-the-scenes pressure.''

The process is deeply flawed. At once it is tragic and hilarious that Khalilzad and collaborators think they can keep on writing provisions just a few days ahead of the vote. Saddam could be having this election.

The situation cannot be corrected unless the Americans do what they will never do, give up their war spoils and butt out. But of course the people of Iraq so deeply want to take control of their own destiny -- and many will display this by voting in the referrendum anyway -- whether anybody understand what they are voting on or not.

The Sy Hersh article revealing the truth about the American hand in the process that inevitably will be published -- like this one from July concerning the January election -- will be ignored by main US media.