Rotters News Service - Washington DC.
Jan. 31, 2005

Yesterday, January 30, 2005, was an historic day: Iraq held its first free election in over 50 years. Despite threats from the terrorists who have carried out daily car bombings and assassinations, most of the voting locations remained safe throughout the day.

Initial estimates from an Iraq Interim Government spokesperson put the attendance figures at 72%. Later in the day, they were lowered to 60%. Finally, by early evening, a spokesman admitted that they actually had no idea what percentage of the population voted.

Final results are expected to be announced within a week or so, but initial reports show that — strange as it may seem — President George Bush won 52% of the overall vote! U.N. Observer Katherine Harris told reporters that while this is relatively unexpected — since Bush wasn't even on the Iraqi ballot — it only confirms what the administration has been saying all along: that the Iraqi people have welcomed George W. Bush as a heroic 'liberator'.

Early exit polls showed Bush held a slight edge over the other 275 candidates, but as of late last night, an 11th hour count of Iraqi expatriate votes from Ohio appears to put President Bush in a strong lead; if this is confirmed in the following days, Bush will be the first person in recent history to be democratically elected to run two separate nations.

Iyad Allawi, current Prime Minister on the Iraqi Interim Governing Council and a good friend of the U.S. administration, was running a close second to President Bush. He celebrated his excellent showing in the election by appearing before a cheering crowd of Iraqis late Sunday night. He stood on the balcony of Paul Bremer's old residence, waved to the crowd, and fired an automatic rifle in the air — which has been the traditional acceptance speech of Iraqi leaders in the past.

In related news, a group of Democratic leaders from the U.S. — including Senator John Kerry, Senator Joseph Biden, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi — have put forth a controversial immigration bill which allows Sunni residents of Iraq to immigrate on a "fast-track" to the United States, where they will be encouraged to form a coalition with U.S. Democrats. The bill contains over $2 billion to set up four Sunni relocation processing centers in the following locations: Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; and Orlando and Miami, Florida.