Somalis Take Close Look At Election In the U.S.

Somalis who speak little English will still giggle and say: ''Read my lips.'' Despite mixed feelings about Americans here, there is strong affection for the father -- as a man who tried to make peace in Somalia -- that has rubbed off on the son this American election year.
''We are following it,'' said Shuayb Abdi Karim, 30. ''And we support Bush.'' Or ''Bush Junior,'' as George W. Bush is sometimes called here.
Mr. Karim was standing in a spot that caused much pain for Somalis and Americans alike. An American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down there in October 1993, igniting an all-night battle in which 18 Americans and perhaps 500 Somalis died. Mr. Karim said his brother, who was 18, was killed by a stray bullet.
That battle marked the beginning of the end for America's http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EED81231F934A1575BC0A9669C8B63