voting is fast becoming outdated........and very unreliable
What's really the point in voting. The perspective candidate is only saying what he thinks you want to hear.
Remember Gordon Cambell talking about how his gov't would be the most open and honest? And it's now the most secretive.
I think they should put on the ballots "other" and see how many people vote for that.
According to the Associated Press, Turkey is not looking on with a fond eye the activities of Iraqi Kurds. It would seem the Bush administration hasn't taken into account the effects of "after"
Turkish leaders prepare for possible military intervention in northern Iraq
Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Alarmed by an Iraqi Kurdish move into two key northern Iraqi cities, Turkey's leaders on Friday reviewed possible plans to beef up Turkey's military presence in northern Iraq, although Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said there would be no immediate Turkish move.
Turkey has threatened to send forces into northern Iraq if Iraqi Kurds keep control of the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. Iraqi Kurdish leaders have said they will resist any Turkish military moves and Washington fears that a Turkish intervention could undermine its war efforts in the north by provoking Turkish-Iraqi Kurdish clashes.
"In the light of new developments, we've reviewed the readiness of our troops, both in northern Iraq and along the border, and reinforcement plans," Gul told reporters. "If needed, we have every kind of plan, but for now we are not taking action. Our sensitivities are clear, any step back is out of question."
Turkey has an estimated 5,000 troops in northern Iraq. Tens of thousands of troops reinforced by tanks, self-propelled howitzers and armoured personnel carriers have long been deployed along the border.
Iraqi Kurdish fighters on Friday entered the commercial hub of Mosul, a day after seizing Kirkuk, a key oil-rich city.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell assured Gul on Thursday that U.S. forces will replace the Kurdish fighters in Kirkuk, and invited Turkey to send military observers to monitor the situation.
Private NTV television said three liaison teams, each including five special forces officers already in the region, will serve in Kirkuk, Mosul and at the U.S. headquarters in the area.
Gul said Friday that U.S. forces had taken control of Kirkuk and the Iraqi Kurdish fighters were leaving the city. He said Turkish liaison teams were expected to reach Kirkuk within an hour.
"They will also withdraw from Mosul in the shortest time," he said.
Turkey has repeatedly said it will not accept Iraqi Kurdish control of Kirkuk or Mosul, fearing it could encourage Iraqi Kurds to form their own state. That, Ankara says, could inspire Turkish Kurdish rebels who fought a 15-year war for autonomy in southeastern Turkey.
Gul spoke after a meeting gathering Turkey's top generals, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and senior intelligence officers.
Kirkuk is one of Iraq's leading oil-producing centres and historically has had a large Kurdish population.
Gul cancelled a scheduled visit to Syria on Sunday due to the tense situation in northern Iraq.
Turkish officials also express deep concern over reported looting at title deed and registry offices by Iraqi Kurdish fighters in Kirkuk.
Turkey has long claimed that an ethnic Turkish group, the Turkoman, made up a majority of the city in the past and fears that Kurds could be trying to cover up evidence of the city's ethnic Turkish past.
"Attempts to change the (demographic) structure of those places are unacceptable," Gul said.
Mustafa Ziya, a representative of the Iraqi National Turkoman Front, accused Iraqi Kurdish fighters of looting the title deed and registry offices with the purpose of "wiping out Turkomans
IDIOTS!
