Chapomatic

Thankfully, Allawi spoke to Congress and avoided the humiliating format the Senate forced on Karzai back in 2002. It was a powerful speech–from the transcript, I’m underway.

The text of Prime Minister Allawi’s speech can be found here.

As we move forward, the next major milestone will be holding of the free and fair national and local elections in January next.

(APPLAUSE)

I know that some have speculated, even doubted, whether this date can be met. So let me be absolutely clear: Elections will occur in Iraq on time in January because Iraqis want elections on time.

(APPLAUSE)

For the skeptics who do not understand the Iraqi people, they do not realize how decades of torture and repression feed our desire for freedom. At every step of the political process to date the courage and resilience of the Iraqi people has proved the doubters wrong.

(APPLAUSE)

They said we would miss January deadline to pass the interim constitution.

We proved them wrong.

They warned that there could be no successful handover of sovereignty by the end of June. We proved them wrong. A sovereign Iraqi government took over control two days early.

They doubted whether a national conference could be staged this August. We proved them wrong.

Despite intimidation and violence, over 1,400 citizens, a quarter of them women, from all regions and from every ethnic, religious and political grouping in Iraq, elected a national council.

And I pledge to you today, we’ll prove them wrong again over the elections.

This man has courage to back up his statements.