PURPLE PEOPLE-EATERS.

Congressional Republicans are planning to mark their fingers with purple ink for tonight's State of the Union address, because Iraqis were fingerprinted before voting on Sunday. Indeed, the address is taking place this week and not last week, as is usually the case, so that Bush can tell us how wonderful Iraqi democracy is.

Funny, the Bush Administration didn't seem that interested in Iraqi democracy a year and a half ago:

U.S. military commanders have ordered a halt to local elections and self-rule in provincial cities and towns across Iraq, choosing instead to install their own handpicked mayors and administrators, many of whom are former Iraqi military leaders.

The decision to deny Iraqis a direct role in selecting municipal governments is creating anger and resentment among aspiring leaders and ordinary citizens, who say the U.S.-led occupation forces are not making good on their promise to bring greater freedom and democracy to a country dominated for three decades by Saddam Hussein.

The go-slow approach to representative government in at least a dozen provincial cities is especially frustrating to younger, middle-class professionals who say they want to help their communities emerge from postwar chaos and to let, as one put it, "Iraqis make decisions for Iraq."

"They give us a general," said Bahith Sattar, a biology teacher and tribal leader in Samarra who was a candidate for mayor until that election was canceled last week. "What does that tell you, eh? First of all, an Iraqi general? They lost the last three wars! They're not even good generals. And they know nothing about running a city."

Then, they decreed that elections could only take place after a U.S.-selected committee of exiles wrote a new constitution. Pressure from within Iraq forced them to change their plans, but the citizens of Iraq are still stuck with numerous illegal orders from Paul Bremer, saddling them with a flat tax system and a marketplace about to be destroyed by multinational corporate interests.

The Bush Administration is still making promises to various people about the nature and make-up of the new Iraqi government. They made sure that it would be as difficult as possible for candidates and parties to campaign. They do not care about the future of the Iraqi people or the future of democracy in Iraq -- they care about making centrist voters in America think they care. Much the way Republicans "reach out" to blacks in a way that sways no black voters, but pulls in a few white moderates who decide the GOP is "compassionate," these efforts are all about using one group as a prop to attract another. George Bush, you will almost certainly make reference to the state of the Iraq union in your speech. You will deem it strong; it is a farce. Iraq remains on the brink of civil war, and no America-loving parliamentary body is going to change that, especially you couldn't get more than 20% of the Sunnis to vote. You can fuck right off.

Meanwhile, the purple-fingered drama queens in the Senate, who want to make sure that everyone knows they "support" Iraqi voters (without the purple ink, I think we'd be left in the dark on that one), will all be voting to confirm Torture Man as our next Attorney General. So, a hearty "fuck you" to you guys, too.

I think this Metafilter comment sums it up well:

WE WENT TO IRAQ TO GIVE THEM THE GIFT OF DEMOCRACY*
*Not valid in Sunni majority provinces. "Democracy" means the right to cast a ballot, not necessarily to know for whom you're voting. Democracy means the right to cast a ballot, not necessarily national sovereignty. Democracy means the right to cast a ballot, not to decide who owns your oil. Not valid with other offers, like voting for Islamic theocracy or a pro-Iranian government. Must retain fourteen permanent U.S. military bases to play. Voting will not restore lost parents or children, and will not remove the horror from your soul. Void where prohibited by the USA Patriot Act, the Bybee Memo, Proconsul John Negroponte or any U.S. Soldier's whim.

Posted by Aaron S. Veenstra ::: 2005:02:02:15:38