The West needs to help Zimbabweans. Morgan has done all he can without an army, if he had one, Mugabe will not be in power. If the West does not act, waiting for a Democratic gvt to act (ie helping when there is a Pres elected by the people) That will be too late and it will never happen as long as Mugabe is alive. AU will not do anything to get that old man out. Too much is at stake for Zimbabwean people for the West to fumble...please help the Zimbabweans. Lets not forget this is one of the African countries with well educated people.

Sent by Lonnie | 1:04 AM ET | 07-01-2008

People who live in hanging chad houses... imagine that quotation from a certain mister B above! Shame! He seems to have forgotten his own complicit, nefarious election fraud in 2000 and 2004 it would appear.

But what else is news not worthy, it is always easier to attempt to culture a bete noire, pariah than a bete blanc one...and when you have the imagine of an African woman in the formulation of Ms. J.F. acting as catalyst all the more better to keep the white hands untainted with indelible ink of one's own hypocrispy.

It should be quite apparent to those of the western hemispheres whose concepts of what they term as democracy whilst good on their parchment papers is never quite feasible in practice even under their own guidance and until such time that they can "fixed" their faulty concepts of governance they should not broadcast the ideals therein around the planet until such time that there own houses can be set in order subscribing to those same principles. Of course, it should also be said that Africa [whether the islamic nor non-islamic portions] has had systems of governance that pre-date the arrival of europeans on the continent and it is these egalitarian, societal concepts which Africans should consider returning to the source of as guidance towards a more harmonious African future.

Viva Zimbabwe and its people: those who are present today and the Shonas and Ndebeles whose blood flowed to colour the earth red from the wars with the invading British/Boer settlers who invaded from southern Africa later to term themselves Rhodesians [after Cecil Rhodes] who wished to perform the giant land grabs that manifested them in Kenya.

It should be obvious that the western backed MDC under the sycophant, Morgan Tsvangirai was not considered serious nor possessed enough conviction to be in the words of C. Achebe "A Man of the People". If one is African and has to run and hide behind one's white puppet masters and/or to one's white embassies why should the people deem one fit enough to be their present representative ruler when one has failed to stand firm and die letting one's own blood join that of those who stood firm before defending their lands. If one is destined to be a leader of one's people, one should have no fear of one's own people.

Recall Patrice Lumumba, el Hajj Malik el-Shabazz [Malcolm X], Amilcar Cabral, and Anwar el Sadat were all to leave us at the hand of their own people whom they had no fear of but rather great love. Of course they had so much love they failed to see the white assassins hand coming to take their very lives in a black form. How strange that M. Tsvangirai with his constant white shadows would think he capable of being a "man of the people" to shepard Zimbabwe back into the chains of white British economic slavery for a very quid in some Brit bank account. My only problem with Robert G Mugabe...my piscean brother waited much too long and with too much patience to return all of the land back to the people. It would have been my first decree within four hours of office assumption at independence.

So, when are the Brits going to pay up their arrears according to the Lancaster House terms? Or are we to witness the same machinations that occurred with Mr. Aristide when he demanded what is owe and due to the Haitian peoples from the Banque de France?

Sent by K MJUMBE | 3:18 AM ET | 07-01-2008

Shared power? It would be like letting Bill as First husband into the white house. How do you share power with a guy like that? Just who would be in charge?
You see it is not so much Uncle Bob as much as his generals and cronies who are quaking in their collective boots. It is they who have all to lose. Not to mention the Chinese military who are all over the place.

Sent by audiodramatist | 1:18 PM ET | 07-01-2008

the question is was george w.bush referring to the presidential elections here in america in 2000 and 2004 " being a sham." if there ever was elections that should have been monitored and then investigated by an independent body was the disenfranchised people who were subjected to voter fraud if there ever was a sham in electing a president .

Sent by muhammad abdullah | 4:29 PM ET | 07-01-2008

I was listening to Morning Edition yesterday and is doens't seem that power-sharing is a legitimate solution. Mugabe seems to be Africa's own Saddam, on a much smaller scale. And instead of oil, America has supported him over the years because he was a crucial pro-West voice during the Cold War. Once the Cold War ended, I suppose America did what we have done to Africa since the end of slavery: show indifference.

Mugabe has to go. It will either be quick or slow, and blood will be spilled either way. I hesitate to suggest such a preposterous idea, but if I was a Zimbabwean, I would rather have my blood shed for the benefit of my country and future generations than so that Mr. Mugabe can silence the opposition and retain power.

Tsvingirai's own words:

"It's almost an elite pact between the leaderships. It doesn't mean anything to the people. We want a transition that is going to work on a new constitution, demilitarise the institutions of Zanu-PF, reform them, and then have elections."

http://sethandray.wordpress.com

Sent by Seth | 5:33 PM ET | 07-01-2008