Bush? Kerry? It Makes No Difference to Iraqis


Tue Oct 19,11:17 AM ET Politics - Reuters


By Michael Georgy


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Some see U.S. presidential challenger Senator John Kerry as an articulate war hero with credentials to lead a superpower, others are grateful President Bush toppled Saddam Hussein.

But even if Iraqis could vote in the U.S. presidential elections, few believe either man will save their country from daily carnage.

"Bush should just retire. He has given me nothing but headaches. He removed Saddam and gave us many other big problems. America needs a new leader," said Abbas Muhammad.

"Now Iraq has huge problems. I like Kerry but I really don't think much will change here even if Iraqis could vote in America."

Iraqis have watched Bush and Kerry in fierce debates over the U.S-led war in Iraq and its bloody aftermath.

But neither candidate managed to convince Iraqis they had a plan to end the almost daily suicide car bombings, shootings, kidnappings and chaos.

Iraqi sentiments toward the United States are divided along complex and volatile ethnic and sectarian lines.

The Kurds in the north, who were shielded from Saddam's troops by a U.S. and British no-fly zone, tend to be pro-American. Many Shi'ites in the south who welcomed the U.S. invasion are now deeply resentful of the Americans.

And many Sunnis in central Iraq are fiercely anti-American.

Whether Iraqis appreciate Bush's decision to topple Saddam or hope he loses the election, most people interviewed say they will remain suspicious of American policy in Iraq even if there is a new face in the White House.

"Bush? Kerry? It really makes no difference. American policies in the Middle East and Iraq will not change because everyone knows they are controlled by Israel," said Hamid Majeed, 40, a factory manager in Baghdad.

"They just want to control Iraq and keep it unstable because that will be an excuse to stay here."

U.S. troops backing Iraq's interim government are trying to retake rebel strongholds ahead of elections due in January. But Iraqis still don't know who their own candidates are.

Air strikes on the fiercest rebel-held city of Falluja are fueling anti-American sentiment and hurting the credibility of the government that many Iraqis complain is heavily influenced by Washington.

Some Iraqis hope Kerry would make a fresh start in Iraq by pulling out U.S. troops.


WAR HERO VS LIBERATOR


"I wait for Kerry's victory over Bush. He may pull American forces from Iraq and rid the Iraqis of the killing and destruction and put an end to the mess from the occupation," Abdullah al-Abaichee, 15, a student in rebel-held Falluja.

"If Bush wins it will be the biggest brutal aggression in Iraq. The reaction from the resistance will be fierce. It will be an arena of conflict and Iraqis and US troops will pay the price."

Other Iraqis were terrified at the thought of U.S. troops leaving as violence rages.

"Bush gave us the biggest present when he removed Saddam. Today we are scared a Kerry victory would lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq," said Zansit Othman, a 23 year-old student in the Kurdish city of Arbil.

Even though Iraqis have a grim view of their future, both Kerry and Bush have some appeal in a country where people were happy to see Saddam's fall but want a strong leader to end the turmoil.

"Kerry is better than Bush because he had experience fighting in Vietnam. Only someone with military experience can run a country," said Baghdad businessman Ouf Abdel Rahman, 56.

Some Iraqis nostalgic for the old days are not paying much attention to the Nov. 2 U.S. elections.

"Let me ask you something. Who would you vote for Saddam or Bush? Saddam is my choice," said Alla al-Turfi, 25, as he washed his car. "He is the only person I want to vote for."