Has the United States ever heard that old saying about the pot calling the kettle black? Because things sure got awkward on Wednesday morning, when the U.S. Embassy condemned the presidential election in West Africa's Côte d'Ivoire for being undemocratic — shortly after America's own leader faced such accusations domestically.
On the surface, there is little comparison between the United States' elections, which are by all expert accounts fair and legitimate, and the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, where President Alassane Ouattara won a third term with 94.27 percent of the vote. Tragically, violent clashes in the nation over the election have also resulted in at least a dozen deaths, with thousands fleeing the country, the United Nations has reported. In issuing its condemnation on Wednesday, the United States joined a chorus of international voices decrying the violence and breakdown of democratic processes in Côte d'Ivoire.
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