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Today’s Q’s for O’s WH – 11/2/2009
November 02, 2009 1:48 PM
TAPPER: President Obama last month in Pittsburgh said, of the Afghan elections and the aftermath, "What's most important is that there's a sense of legitimacy in Afghanistan among the Afghan people for their government." Is there a sense of legitimacy in Afghanistan among the Afghan people for the Karzai government?
GIBBS: Well, I have no reason to believe there's not.
TAPPER: Well, Abdullah Abdullah, as you know, one of the demands -- or the only demand at the end that he asked for from Karzai to continue with this run-off was for the head of the IEC to be replaced, because there was such a lack of trust in him after the last election. Karzai refused. So, obviously, Abdullah Abdullah feels that there's a lack of credibility in the IEC.
GIBBS: Look, Dr. Abdullah made his own personal and political decision about this particular run-off. I think, if you look at the election results, even after the investigation of allegations of fraud -- which, by the way, worked, throwing out enough votes to require a second round, and convincing President Karzai to participate in that, which clearly was not a -- by any means a given, I think even in that balloting, you saw that Dr. Abdullah trailed by a fairly large margin President Karzai. So I don't see -- I don't think there's any reason to believe that the Afghan people won't think this government is as legitimate as it is.
TAPPER: Well, the reason would be that the last election was considered tainted by fraud and that's the only election they've had.
GIBBS: Well, and those results were thrown out, the fraud was reported, investigated. The committees that you talked about threw out those votes. A second round was scheduled, and the participant -- the second participant in the second round decided, again, for personal or political reasons, not to take part in the elections. I -- I don't know how you can have an election of two candidates if the one who finishes second decides not to participate, even after the laws and institutions of the government threw out what he declared were fraudulent results from the first round.
TAPPER: Personal political reasons?
GIBBS: I said personal and political.
TAPPER: The reasons Abudullah stated were that he would have no faith or trust in this election because the last one was so riddled with fraud and that the same head of the IEC was going to be...
GIBBS: I don't know how you could presume something was going to happen before it did.
-jpt
November 2, 2009 in Afghanistan, Current Affairs, Obama, Barack, Today's Qs for Obama's WH, White House, White House Press Briefing | Permalink | Share | User Comments (12)
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So I don't see -- I don't think there's any reason to believe that the Afghan people won't think this government is as legitimate as it is.
(From Gibbs' comments above)
Since when does it matter what the Afghan people think anyway? Does idiot Gibbs honestly think those people have a voice? Does he honestly think they even WANT a voice? Obviously, by his previous statement, the margin was rather wide to begin with in favor of Karzai. So, they are getting what they voted for. When are people going to realize that the country is run by corruption, terrorists and drugs? That is never going to change. They have adjusted themselves to that way of life and have no intention of giving us room to work with them on any level. It's the same way with Pakistan. It's the same way to differing extents with Cuba, Russia, China, N. Korea, Venezuela...
I've never been one to say "just tuck tail and run", but a dead end is a dead end. We have tried force, we have tried monetary support, we have tried sitting at the table and coming up with some type of reasonable treaty. But evil is evil, drug money is drug money, killers are killers, and corruption is corruption. You cannot help people who do not want to help themselves, and I, for one, am tired of us trying. I never thought I'd hear myself say those words, but enough is enough.
Posted by: Shoe | Nov 2, 2009 6:39:12 PM
"Where does one have to keep their head in order to believe this characterization?"
On one's shoulders.
You may find that a more comfortable place than where you are currently storing yours 2 1/2 to 3 feet lower.
Posted by: Ryan C | Nov 2, 2009 5:29:48 PM
You mean those 2 bozos in costumes with a nightstick posing outside of 1 polling booth in one district in 1 state in the entire country? Boy, now that's corruption. And a couple of Walt Disney characters being submissions for a voters' list (and then vetted and eliminated)?
Posted by: tierra |
Where does one have to keep their head in order to believe this characterization?
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Nov 2, 2009 4:43:37 PM
"This administration can hardly come out swinging about another country's voter/election fraud when they refuse to investigate those same accusations here with reported intimdation in Philly and with ACORN in the last election."
__________________________________
You mean those 2 bozos in costumes with a nightstick posing outside of 1 polling booth in one district in 1 state in the entire country? Boy, now that's corruption. And a couple of Walt Disney characters being submissions for a voters' list (and then vetted and eliminated)?
Wow, talk about a police state.
Posted by: tierra | Nov 2, 2009 4:34:35 PM
This administration can hardly come out swinging about another country's voter/election fraud when they refuse to investigate those same accusations here with reported intimdation in Philly and with ACORN in the last election. Ya know, cuz Obama probably would have won anyway, right, so no biggy.
Posted by: jennifert7 | Nov 2, 2009 3:56:38 PM
"Well, and those results were thrown out, the fraud was reported, investigated."
So in Gibbs' mind, the first results were thrown out so they don't exist, then Abdullah dropped out, soooo Karzai effectively ran unopposed?
This is the logic coming from the WH? And we're supposed to be helping these people? How exactly?
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | Nov 2, 2009 3:49:05 PM
I find it interesting that I can read what Gibbs says and feel the sarcasm and arrogance. Now that's a gift we can believe in.
I hate it when people start a sentence with "Look". It's extremely offensive.
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | Nov 2, 2009 3:44:37 PM
I would think the people in the Obama Administration all have to possess very similar personalities in order to tolerate each other.
By similar personalities I mean
arrogant and pompous.
Notice how Gibbs,Biden, Axelrod, Obama, Emanuel all think they are God's gift to everyone.
Posted by: millie | Nov 2, 2009 3:24:17 PM
This guy Gibbs must have to take a 40-minute hot shower every night to wash off the dirt he is covered in. I don't know how he can say things like this and be able to look at himself in the mirror. And I don't know why Democrats don't care that they betray the Afghani people like this.
Posted by: Chiara | Nov 2, 2009 3:09:46 PM
I hear Obama just congratulated Karzi on his "win." Not surprising Obama considers it a win when your opponent drops (is forced) out of the process. He's "won" a few elections that way himself.
Posted by: jennifert7 | Nov 2, 2009 2:36:19 PM
Looking out the window, I see very dark clouds building up. Wind is blowing harder; bushes and trees sway. Temps are dropping quickly, and its getting really cold. The weatherman says rain is due today. Think I'll "presume" to take my umbrella when I go out.
Gibbs ignores reality. I don't. Gibbs is all wet. I won't be.
Posted by: TParty4USA | Nov 2, 2009 2:18:37 PM
"GIBBS: I don't know how you could presume something was going to happen before it did."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I don't know---that made me laugh.
Posted by: jennifert7 | Nov 2, 2009 2:05:01 PM
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