Reminiscent of the Iraq WMDs, where his excuse was "Tony told me", here it's "Allawi told me".

Can anyone explain what kind of "democracy" it is where only candidates approved by a foreign occupying power can run, where only certain issues can be decided, and much of the country won't vote?

Is this an "election", or just trying to legitimize the puppet regime?

"WASHINGTON - Standing beside Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, President Bush on Thursday denied that he has sugar-coated the situation in Iraq and said that elections are possible as scheduled in January despite ongoing violence “because the prime minister told me they are.”

"You can understand how hard it is and still be optimistic,” he said during a joint news conference with Allawi in the White House Rose Garden, referring to the continued violence and efforts to stabilize Iraq.

"Bush praised the Iraqi leader for making "steady progress" toward democracy in the nearly three months since his administration assumed authority from the Coalition Provisional Authority."

Arf