| WRONG: "The bottom line here is the U.N. has always thought it might take something like 8 months to get elections ready. And according to my math, there are not 8 months between Sept. and Jan." —Former Sec. of State Madeleine Albright, Sept. 20, 2004
RIGHT: "Elections will occur in Iraq on time in Jan." —Interim PM Iyad Allawi, Sept. 23, 2004
WRONG: "The U.S. and the Iraqis have retreated from whole areas of Iraq… There are no-go zones in Iraq today. You can't hold an election in a no-go zone." —Sen. John Kerry, Sept. 23, 2004
RIGHT: "The Iraq elections are going to be a surprising success." —Blogger Andrew Sullivan, Dec. 19, 2004
WRONG: "The elections are going to be much messier [than in the West Bank and Gaza]." —Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D-Del.), Jan. 9
WRONG: "They will not be free, fair and credible elections by ANY standard." —Hrair Balian, former head of democracy efforts for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Jan. 15
RIGHT: "I think elections will be such an incredibly hopeful experience for the Iraqi people." —Pesident Bush, Jan. 16
RIGHT: "Violence will not stop this election." —Carlos Valenzuela, the U.N.'s top elections expert in Iraq, Jan. 21
WRONG: "As low as the bar is, the election could still prove to be a disappointing farce." —Los Angeles Times, Jan. 26
WRONG: "Anyone who votes will be beheaded." —Graffiti on a polling place in Mosul, Jan. 29 | |
