CIA to put an operation in place to affect the outcome of the elections

[deep]

CIA's Iraq plan shot down

September 27, 2004 12:25 IST

The Bush administration has been forced to scale back a plan proposing a covert CIA operation to aid candidates, favoured by Washington, in the Iraq elections after lawmakers raised questions about the idea when it was sent to Capitol Hill.

The plan, written several months ago, wanted to help such candidates "whose opponents might be receiving covert backing from other countries, like Iran" but not necessarily to go so far as to rig the elections, US media reports said.

But lawmakers, from both parties, raised questions about the idea when it was sent to Capitol Hill. In particular, house minority leader Nancy Pelosi "came unglued" when she learned about what a source described as a plan for "the CIA to put an operation in place to affect the outcome of the elections," said Time magazine.

Pelosi, Time said, had strong words with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in a phone call about the issue.

"I cannot in any way comment on classified matters, the existence or nonexistence of findings. But there have been and continue to be concerns about efforts by outsiders to influence the outcome of the Iraqi elections, including money flowing from Iran," Rice's spokesman Sean McCormack told the magazine.

"This raises concerns about whether there will be a level playing field for the election. In the final analysis, we have adopted a policy that we will not try to influence the outcome of the upcoming Iraqi election by covertly helping individual candidates for office," he said.

A senior US official hinted that, under pressure from the Hill, the Administration scaled back its original plans. During his visit to Washington and New York, interim Iraqi president had insisted that elections, scheduled for January, would go ahead despite increasing violence in the country.

 

[A_Wanderer]

I am acting astonished.

If I was a leader then I would definitely consider rigging the first Iraqi elections to give the government the appearance of legitimacy, it would be risky if it was exposed but once I had my puppet government in place then they could go all out against their enemies. Eventually when the country was secure one could open it up. Security against liberty you see, if the situation looked like the entire country was about to decend into hell such an extreme measure would be a better choice in the long term, I want to see a free and democratic Iraq but if that cannot be done off the bat then maintaining a secure state would be objective number two. Freedom and democracy would become a longer term goal.

If the situation on the ground was too far gone then I would advocate such action, right now I would not. When considering political situations one must always be ready to ask the tough questions, this event and the scenario surrounding it is a tough question - would people be willing to introduce a strongman leader into Iraq rather than leave it to collapse - which would be more dangerous to western interests in the region?

 

[BVS]

 

[Jamila]

The Bush administration - a supporter of "democracy", even if that means only some of the Iraqi people vote in their upcoming "election"!

And how about some CIA "covert activity" to further promote the Bush administration's idea of "democracy" - whether at home or abroad!

Seems like George W. Bush has been getting some advice form daddy - former Pres. George H. Bush, who was responsible for some very questionable "covert activity" when he was CIA chief in the 1970's!

DEFINITELY TIME FOR REGIME CHANGE....

 

[nbcrusader]

One quote states that the government is concerned about efforts by outsiders to influence the outcome of the Iraqi elections, including money flowing from Iran.

I'm not sure this is a bad thing. A substantial part of the efforts to destabilize Iraq come from non-Iraqis.

More info please. If you want more info, that is.

 

[Rono]

One quote states that the government is concerned about efforts by outsiders to influence the outcome of the Iraqi elections.

 

[Klaus]

That's called "installing an pro US regime" or if the russians did it we called it "Satelite States"

 

[Flying FuManchu]

So what... I want a pro-US regime or at the least a regime that isn't going to hurt the US interests... a country's government would be moronic to not want that especially with the lives involved. With that said, this administration has fucked up a lot in Iraq so that something "risky" like that could backfire on the US. Look at how the US's post-war planning has seemingly flopped. I hope the US doesn't have faith in their plans to support pro-US candidates to actually go through with it, b/c by the looks of their sucky post-war planning, doing something like that will be a failure. So please America, don't add more junk to the already existing problems...

 

[A_Wanderer]

Plan of last resort in my opinion.

 

[Klaus]

More food for al-quaida & co in my opinion