http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... 195519.cms

US to vote, but world has other plans
[ 28 Oct, 2006 0901hrs ISTAP ]

The US mid-term elections offer enough drama to intrigue even the most casual news junky - a mix of power, war, corruption and sex that would make a Hollywood producer giddy.

They also promise to have a profound impact on the world - from the future of Iraq, to Latin American immigration, to finding a way to deal with a nuclear North Korea.

The stakes couldn't be higher. So why aren't the congressional elections the talk of Paris cafes, Kabul tea houses and Tokyo nightspots?

Around the world, George W. Bush remains as intensely disliked as ever by millions of people, and a triumph for the Democrats on November 7 would be greeted by many with jubilation and even vindication - a feeling that Americans are finally coming around to the view that Bush's policies put the world at risk.

And contrary to what some Americans may think, there's a whole world out there beyond the boundaries of US obsessions.

The French are focused on their own presidential elections next year, the Indonesians with the end of the month of Ramzan, the British with who will succeed Tony Blair, the Swedes with the resignations of two Cabinet ministers who neglected to pay taxes on their nannies, the Thais with a recent coup.

While there are pockets of interest in the US vote, most people say that for now they are too busy worrying about local issues - or simply making ends meet - to pay much attention to Washington.

"Mid-term election? I've never heard of that," said Liu Defa, a 38-year-old fruit vendor in Shanghai, China. "I do watch the TV news every day but I prefer to hear about how the weather will affect my fruit business."

Delia Hermosa, a nurse taking blood-pressure readings on a busy pedestrian walkway in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said she was unaware of the vote, but that she hoped American voters would hand President Bush a stinging rebuke.

"I hope they bust him up good," said Hermosa. She blamed Bush for unnecessary deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many complained the American political system - in which one-third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives is re-elected every two-years - is too complicated to figure out anyway.

In Egypt, where Bush is supremely unpopular over the war in Iraq and his support for Israel, many said they were too concerned with rising food prices to care about events in faraway Washington.

Abdullah Abdel Qader, a former soldier who works in a shop in Cairo, said he hoped Bush would be forced from power, an unlikely event given America's separation of legislative and executive power.

"Nobody loves him," said Qader. "For sure he will be sacked from his party."

In India, where Bush's popularity is relatively high, some were hoping his party would come out on top. "Bush has recognised India as a powerful nation that can help America," said Rajesh Kumar, 34, an electronics shop owner in New Delhi.

"I hope Bush is stronger after the elections. He is a great man."

Even in countries where US policy could have a profound effect, many were too jaded by disappointment to get worked up about the vote.

Amir Jabar, an Iraqi teacher, said he was more preoccupied with bombs and bullets, than American ballots. "We are not concerned with these elections. We have bigger problems to worry about," said the Baghdad resident.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... 195519.cms