Howard Fineman on Bush speech - Iraqis are "real audience"

Newsweek's Howard Fineman
Nov 30, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10265452/site/newsweek/

<snip>
With his new National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, the president isn't really aiming for victory in the conventional sense. Nothing is conventional in a war against Islamist terrorists, and Iraq will remain a breeding ground for them regardless. Rather, Bush's goal is to begin a draw down of our troops before next year's Congressional elections. To do that, he needs the Dec. 15 election in Iraq to go well, with Sunni participation. Then the troop reductions can begin.

<snip>
At Annapolis, the president was speaking to audiences in both countries, but primarily to the one in Mesopotamia. Part of his purpose was to convince Iraqis that we still mean business there, and that our own voters don't have the political leverage to demand an immediate, mass exodus of American troops.

White House aides say Bush's speech is only the first of a series between now and Dec. 15. That's a good indication of who the real audience for them is.

No matter what you see or hear, how will you KNOW if the Iraq elections went well? The media can and will tell you what they want you to believe, and short of bombings of polling places, how will we ever know what's real?

If it is too dangerous for film crews...how is there any proof of
fair or high turnout elections?

Or maybe it's the one's who are reading US paid propaganda. :shrug: