You Want A Mandate?

This here's a mandate. AP (12.24.07):

"Uzbekistan's authoritarian President Islam Karimov won a new term in office with 88.1 percent of the votes in an election dismissed by critics as a sham, according to figures released by the Central Elections Commission on Monday.

Karimov faced three other candidates in the Sunday vote, but all of them publicly supported Karimov."

Uzbek Leader Wins New Term With 88%

Must be losing his touch. In 2000, he got almost 92% of the votes. Think that's something? Ha! In 1995, he got 99.6%.

If old J. Edgar had been around, maybe George could have pulled numbers like these. AP (12.24.07):

"A newly declassified document shows that J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had a plan to suspend habeas corpus and imprison some 12,000 Americans he suspected of disloyalty.

Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, 12 days after the Korean War began. It envisioned putting suspect Americans in military prisons."

Hoover Planned Mass Jailing in 1950

"Hoover wanted President Harry S. Truman to proclaim the mass arrests necessary to 'protect the country against treason, espionage and sabotage.' The F.B.I would 'apprehend all individuals potentially dangerous' to national security, Hoover’s proposal said."

"The arrests would be carried out under 'a master warrant attached to a list of names' provided by the bureau."

J. Edgar