Iraq Elections Would Be "Destructive"

So much for "Operation Iraqi Freedom." William Booth and Rajiv Chandrasekaran report that "U.S. military commanders have ordered a halt to local elections and self-rule in provincial cities and towns across Iraq, choosing instead to install their own handpicked mayors and administrators, many of whom are former Iraqi military leaders." The decision is "creating anger and resentment," but L. Paul Bremer, the PR crisis manager turned overlord of Iraq, says "Elections that are held too early can be destructive." The BBC quotes Bremer's strategy for crushing opposition, which he attributes to "remnants" of Saddam's regime: "We are going to fight them and impose our will on them and we will capture or... kill them until we have imposed law and order on this country. We dominate the scene and we will continue to impose our will on this country."