Violence won't delay Iraq vote

WASHINGTON — President Bush and Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of Iraq vowed in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday that Iraq would hold free elections as scheduled in January, even though Bush acknowledged the "persistent violence" in some parts of the country and Allawi conceded that the elections "may not be perfect."

Similarly, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld spoke openly for the first time on Thursday about the possibility that the January elections might be held only in parts of Iraq.

"Let's say you tried to have an election, and you could have it in three-quarters or four-fifths of the country, but some places you couldn't because the violence was too great," Rumsfeld said at a hearing on Capitol Hill. "Well, that's so be it. Nothing's perfect in life."

But on a day when both Republicans and Democrats used Allawi to reinforce starkly opposed campaign messages about Iraq, Bush and his ally presented, overall, a rosy picture of the country. In contrast, Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, seized on the visit to paint a bleak portrait of Iraq and a Bush administration in disarray.

Republicans in Utah's congressional delegation were predictably effusive in their praise of Allawi and America's role in Iraq.

Sen. Orrin Hatch called an address by Allawi to Congress "powerful," adding, "The prime minister was direct in his gratitude for the U.S. contribution and sacrifice to liberate his country from tyranny.

"He was compelling in his declaration that the Iraqi people are determined to move forward in assuming their security and in conducting free and fair elections," he said. "And he is committed to his government's partnership to fighting terrorism in the region and in the world."

Sen. Bob Bennett, who met Allawi earlier in the summer, was also impressed, saying the prime minister "gave a good speech today and reinforced what we've known — there is steady progress in Iraq, Iraqi support for the United States and President Bush remains strong, and the successes in the country continue to prove the skeptics wrong."

Rep. Jim Matheson, Utah's only Democrat in the delegation, was more cautious.

"Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi's comments to Congress today come at a time when U.S. forces continue to face challenges in Iraq," he said. "We must remember that the road ahead is treacherous, and though there are some

successes, this is not an easily resolved situation."