Kofi's "2nd step" will be to take credit for a "successful election in the face of so much danger"...

Pissant.

Deposing a dictator does not make a democracy. Elections are what makes a democracy. Can Kofi say anything that will not be run throught the anti-UN spin machine?

Here is what Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for Bush, said on Iraq elections:
"This initial step in the elections this weekend is a big, important step."

Crerar, Dowd said (as you yourself quote): "This initial step in the elections this weekend is a big, important step."

Emphasis mine. That's called meaning something different from what Annan said.

Reading comprehension. It's a good thing.

And you can't start to build a democracy while the dictator is still in place. Ergo, removing the dictator is the first step.

Many dictators have been removed to be replaced with others. If I am way out on this point then so is this lady I guess:
"The election later this month will be an important first step as the people of Iraq prepare to draft a constitution and hold the next round of elections, elections that will then create a permanent government," said Condoleezza Rice.

Crerar: Then, consider the election the first step of round two and stop whining.

Crerar, I noticed you did not provide a link to your quote, so I figured you were either misquoting or taking out of context. After locating Rice's quote, I realized it was the latter.

In context: ""In Iraq, the people will soon take the next step in their journey toward full, genuine democracy. All Iraqis, whatever their faith or ethnicity, from Shias to Sunnis to Kurds to others, must build a common future together.

"The election later this month will be an important first step, as the people of Iraq prepare to draft a constitution and hold the next round of elections, elections that will then create a permanent government." (emphasis added).

As you can see, Rice is clearly saying the elections are a first step of the next step, not the first step period.

Cite: http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=2580

Baron

Paul,

Go easy on Kofi. His son Kojo pretty much conceded that he was a bagman for Saddam over the weekend and Kofi's now gotta figure out how to move a couple million barrels of oil without anyone noticing. Besides, this is the UN Sec. Gen. we're talking about - numbers aren't the UNs strong suit.

Affirmative action at its worst.

Actually the first step was the decision to bypass Kofi and the UN terror supporters and address the situation along with the COTW. That decision made the next steps possible. But for Kofi, Kerry, TedK and so many others, keep hoping for the worst. Losing fits you so well.

Will Iran be the "Next Victim of ‘Freedom’?" ask the editors of the Morocco
Times. They liken democracy to the “bogeyman” “If you don't behave, democracy will get you,” they warn.

Original source of quote: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4211445.stm

Thank you for putting Condi Rice into your context, "Rice is clearly saying the elections are a first step of the next step" - LOL. I did not take the quote out of context.

Can you put this one into context for me as well "this election is a first step, not the final step, on the road to Iraqi democracy."
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0501/S00335.htm

There are a lot of things wrong with the UN and the UN leader - this quote is not one of them.

WARNING TO KOFI: I understand that irregardless of what legitimate political party comes to power the very first item on the new country's agenda IS YOU AND THE BILLIONS STASHED AWAY BY SADDAM!

Be afraid...be very afraid. They have the paperwork documenting the oil-for-food scandal and YOU ARE IN THE CROSS HAIRS!

I is not the first, second or any step toward democracy. IT IS DEMOCRACY!

Some of us can't seem to see the staircase through the steps. Who cares how many steps. This was a beautiful step on difficult staircase that seems easier to ascend today. As in Beethoven's 5th, freedom rings out suddenly from the morass. The triumph of freedom in the end -- for Iraqis, for the middle-east, for US interests, for humanity -- feels one step closer today.

I just noticed that you also have to register at Kos to post - no wonder there aren't any sensible comments showing up - actually except one good natured person who is asking for clarification on the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq. This person goes by the handle "ne_plus_ultra" and closes his/her comments with a rare moment of clarity among every other sentence on that whole page...

We should not be disparaging a democratic election.

There has been no such confirmation or comment back to this person as expected, and even more curious, no analysis whatsoever from the person originally posting article from the NYT.

Who's fear mongering again?

Whoops - wrong post ^.

OT in that I'm not responding to this silly banter about what a first step is or isn't, but I'm curious, considering all the vitriol directed towards Annan, how will you all react if Halliburton's "oil for food" dealings while Cheney was in charge turn out to be less than legal? Hypothetically of course.

And by the way, who cares whether it was a first or second, or eighth step towards democracy? It's a step in the right direction.

Elections are all fine and dandy people, but I'm waiting to see if civil war breaks out in a couple of months...
It' ain't over 'til it's over.

Young Mantis, pray tell, what does Halliburton have to do with the wonderful news from Iraq, and what does it have to do with the fact that Kofi Annan is an utter buffoon? Why do you want to change the subject so quickly? Is success really that hard to take?

Oh wise and sage McCain,
I was responding to the comments referring to OFF, as well as the general tone towards Annan in light of said scandal (usually ignoring its US aspect), and asking a question. I can hardly change a topic on a blog I do not run, nor was I ignoring the election in my post. Can I not ask a question without nitwits performing some crackpot analysis of my implicit motiviations? I do notice you didn't respond to my hypothetical. In any case I was trying to point out that while many conservatives label liberals as the "blame America first" crowd, I notice conservatives are often the "blame everyone but America, for she can do no wrong" crowd.

And by the way, success is not hard to take. I'm glad the elections had high turnout and relatively little violence. I hope things work out over there and the Iraqi people make the transfer to self-rule successfully. I can genuinely say that and still think the war was not a good idea from the start, and disagree with Bush's handling of it. I'm not sure you believe that's possible, but it's true.