Bush Trumpets Iraq Verdict to Rally Support
President Bush greeted supporters at a rally in Grand Island, Neb., on Sunday.
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: November 6, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 — President Bush on Sunday seized on the conviction of Saddam Hussein as a milestone in Iraq, seeking to rally Republican voters with the issue of national security as some polls suggested that his party might be making gains in the final hours of the campaign.
The White House said the timing of the announcement, two days before Election Day, had nothing to do with American politics and had been dictated by the Iraqi court. But Mr. Bush moved quickly to put it to use in what has been his central strategic imperative over the past week, trying to rouse Republican voters to turn out.
“Today we witnessed a landmark event in the history of Iraq: Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal,” Mr. Bush said to roars of approval in a hockey auditorium packed with supporters in Grand Island, Neb. “Saddam Hussein’s trial is a milestone in the Iraqi people’s efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law.”
The announcement out of Baghdad came as polls suggested some gains for Republicans. A Pew Research Center Survey released on Sunday found that the number of likely voters who said they would vote for the Democrats was now 47 percent compared with 43 percent who said they would vote for Republicans. Two weeks ago, Democrats had an edge of 50 to 39. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found a similar tightening.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/us/politics/06vote.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1162830226-e7uony62/qtlAUsTjRiaHwHere's a case study in disinformation particularly as relates to the Saddam impact on the election. What a load of effluence from the "paper of record."