Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi took center stage in the U.S. presidential campaign recently, as President George W. Bush sought a boost from his U.S. visit, while Democratic challenger John Kerry charged the U.S. administration was in “disarray” over Iraq.

　　During a weeklong tour of the United States beginning on September 21, the head of interim Iraqi Government, who was named by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council on June 1, repeated upbeat remarks over the situation in Iraq, echoing—both in tone and content—key themes of Bush’s reelection campaign. Bush and Allawi both insisted that progress is being made toward establishing democratic rule in the country.

　　“We are succeeding in Iraq,” Allawi declared. “It’s a tough struggle with setbacks, but we are succeeding.” He attributed the achievements to America’s “enormous sacrifices to liberate Iraq.”

　　Kerry reacted swiftly to the speech, saying that Allawi and Bush offered an overly sunny view that misled the American people.

　　While Bush is using Allawi’s visit to bolster his position that the United States is succeeding in Iraq, the country has been plagued by a torrent of suicide bomb blasts, shootings and kidnappings of foreigners and Iraqis. Allawi’s visit to Washington comes a day after a video posted on a website showed a second U.S. hostage, Jack Hensley, being decapitated by an Al Qaeda-linked group in Iraq. In the most recent case, a British hostage, Kenneth Bigley, faces death threat at the hands of his Iraqi captors.

　　Following a high-profile visit to Washington, Allawi addressed the UN General Assembly on September 24. While appealing for international assistance to Iraq reconstruction, he vowed that Iraqi national elections would be held in January 2005 as scheduled. “There is no partial election, there will be one election. All Iraqis will be able to vote,” Allawi said following a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

　　“You cannot have credible elections [in Iraq] if the security conditions continue as they are now.”

　　Kofi Annan

　　UN Secretary General

　　“There are 15 [Iraqi] provinces which are dangerous and only the three Kurdish provinces in the north are OK. This speech [made by Allawi in a news conference at the White House saying the security situation in 15 out of 18 Iraqi provinces is good for elections to be held tomorrow] was designed to be heard by Americans and not by Iraqis.”

　　Abu Akil

　　Iraqi lorry driver

　　“I think the prime minister is, obviously, contradicting his own statement of a few days ago, where he said the terrorists are pouring into the country.”

　　John Kerry

　　American Democratic presidential nominee

　　“I would not bet any money, except at ridiculous odds, that we can prevent eventual control of Iraq by radical and hostile groups.”

　　Richard K. Betts

　　Military analyst at Columbia University