From: jeff 

Adam Flinton wrote:
> jeff wrote:
>
>> Adam Flinton wrote:
>>
>>> Geo wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Adam Flinton"
 wrote in message
>>>> news:419de2b4$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Basically the vote broke down into ethnic groups
voting for "their"
>>>>> warlord with Karzai getting the Pashtun & Baluchi
vote, Qanooni
>>>>> getting
>>>>> the Tajik vote, Mohaqiq getting the Hazara vote &
Dostum getting the
>>>>> Uzbek vote.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> You know, amazing as it seems that sounds like standard politics to
>>>> me. 
>>>>
>>>> Geo. (I'm going to mark Afghanistan in the success column now)
>>>>
>>>>
>>> It depends on wether your local pols use weapons etc to encourage
>>> "voter participation" where participation means vote
for the man with
>>> his gunmen in close proximity to the voting station...
>>>
>>> Adam
>>
>>
>>
>> Which, apparently, did not happen.
>>
>
> Really. Odd that. I may have seen contra-indicators.
>
> So where are your examples?
>
http://www.whistlestopper.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-19633
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/oct2004/a101204b.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3733454.stm
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9886245.htm

Nothing about Warlords holding guns to people's heads as they voted there...

>> Sorry Adam, you're just going to have to be disappointed that it
>> wasn't an unmitigated disaster.
>>
>
> I never thought it would be. I did think it would be handing over to a
> the US's chosen warlord dressed up with some legitimacy.
>
> Much as Alawi is not the legitimate ruler of Iraq but simply the US's
> favourite (ex)Baathist strongman.
>
> I wonder how well he/his party will do when the real elections for the
> real gov roll around in a year or so.
>
> Similar thing in many ways. US's golden boy from the majority ethnic
> community.
>
> Adam

Adam, fill your glass up the rest of the way will you? Hearing this
constant stream of 'half empty' gets tiresome.

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