I am reluctantly concluding that the Master Plan includes not just control over the Mideast, but major steps towards a formal dictatorship at home. The failure of the Iraq election is planned for a reason.
Thomas L. Friedman wrote an editorial in the New York Times entitled, "The Country We've Got"
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/opinion/06friedman.html
"In short, we need these elections in Iraq to see if there really is a self-governing community there ready, and willing, to liberate itself - both from Iraq's old regime and from us. The answer to this question is not self-evident. This was always a shot in the dark - but one that I would argue was morally and strategically worth trying."
"We know that the Iraqi people do not want to be ruled by us. But what we don't know is how they want to rule themselves. What kind of majority are the Iraqi Shiites ready to be - a tolerant and inclusive one, or an intolerant and exclusive one? What kind of minority do the Iraqi Sunnis intend to be - rebellious and separatist, or loyal and sharing?"
"Elections are the only way to find out."
He appears to be arguing that the invasion of Iraq is just a crapshoot, and there was no way of knowing anything, at all, about what might happen until we tried it. Could this be the position the administration will try to take when they "crap out?" It seems to me like there were a lot of experts in Arab politics who all said the exact same thing: this is an awful mistake. This will lead to civil war. This will lead to a Shiite fundamentalist government in Iraq.
There are dictators in Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia who are all sitting on militant Muslims of their own, and these dictators have to perform a delicate tiptoeing act to appease them. They all knew this could set off a conflagration for the ages. And, they warned us about it. As did the leaders of France, Germany, Canada, Russia, Indonesia, Belgium, China, Switzerland, India, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico and others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Iraq_War#Countries_supporting_and_opposing_the_war
Many of these countries have large Muslim populations and good reason to pay attention to, and be knowledgeable about, the possible consequences of an invasion of Iraq. Arrogance, ignorance and hubris are generally held to be the reasons that Bush has acted so foolishly about these consequences that everyone else knows, but I have come to suspect he's planned for failure all along. Bush may be a pawn, but is Karl Rove stupid and ideologically blinded? Is Dick Cheney? I dearly hope I'm suffering from unfounded paranoia, but one more terrorist attack - just one more - and they can, and will, impose martial law.
"Just until we've dealt with these internal threats."
At that point, I believe you can kiss your 2006 elections goodbye. And how long will these internal threats go on for? 2008, 2010, as long as needed? Given the proven complicity of the Saudi government in the attacks of 9/11;
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/072603A.shtml
And given the unnaturally close relationship of the Saudi royals and the Bushes, I am reluctantly swinging over to the wild-eyed, foam-at-the-mouth camp that believes Bush was complicit in 9/11. As he will be in the next attack. There may not even be any more elections to plan for.