Blowback

The New York Times has a very interesting story which tries to figure out who in the Bush administration made the decision to withhold a US-funded exit poll that showed challenger Raila Odinga winning the December 2007 Kenyan presidential election over incumbent Mwai Kibaki. The disputed election led to riots and an eventual power-sharing government.

One possibility not explored is that the Bushies were reluctant to acknowledge that exit polls could be used as part of the evidence against a declared election outcome. Because of course, that's part of the case against George Bush's declared victory in the 2000 Florida vote.