Previous developments have shown that the accountability and justice board is an
anachronism that lacks a clear legal basis after the passage of the accountability and justice law in 2008, that the formation of a seven-judge appeals court (to which these decisions may be appealed within three days) remedies this situation only in a partial way, that the Iraqi elections commission seems to be in league with the accountability and justice board in this matter, and that even if one accepts the dubious existence of the current de-Baathification board, its application of the relevant laws appears to be both partisan and selective in the extreme.
Layla Anwar (An Arab Woman Blues) explains that "the Shiites from Iran are doing everything possible to ensure that only they present themselves to the forthcoming elections, by banning all secular and no Shiites representation i.e. Sunnis. Which of course lead me to remember the ongoing genocide against Arab Sunnis in Iraq, the ongoing genocide led by Iran and its Shia supporters, a genocide within the grander American genocide on the Iraqi people."
US Vice President Joe Biden went to Iraq to try to do what the inept US Ambassador to Iraq (Chris Hill) couldn't manage: Explain that the elections needed to at least have the appearance of being fair and free. Before Biden landed, days before it was even known he would be visiting, Rahma al-Salim (Asharq Alawsat) reported that Nouri's spokesperson had stated that US attempts to stop the purging "will not achieve anything." Thursday evening, Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was stating, "We are an independent country and will not receive orders from anyone, whether it is a brotherly Arab country, a neighboring country or a friend. Mr. Biden made proposals, but we are committed to safeguard and uphold this constitution."
The appropriate response to that is: We hear you! All US troops will be removed immediately.
Repeatedly Nouri's mouthpiece has stated they do not need American interference but the reality is Nouri already has American interference. It is the US that put Nouri in charge (he was not the Parliament's choice for Prime Minister -- the US nixed the Parliament's choice). It is the US military on the ground in Iraq that has allowed Little Nouri to remain in power.
Should the US leave tomorrow, Nouri's 'power' crumbles.
So let's agree: No US interference.
But understand that supporting that means US forces leave immediately.
We believe they should.
For a number of reasons.
But if Little Nouri and his junior thugs are going to grand stand on the backs of American soldiers (the very backs that keep Little Nouri in power), then pull them out. Pull 'em out to Kuwait and then back to the US. It can be done immediately.
For those who have forgotten (or more likely, never knew), Barack broke his promise on ending the Iraq War. He likes to point to elections as one of the 'delaying' factors. So now we're to be told that Americans had to remain on Iraqi soil for elections that didn't even offer a superficial attempt at legitimacy?
Pull the US troops right now.
US Vice President Joe Biden went to Iraq to try to do what the inept US Ambassador to Iraq (Chris Hill) couldn't manage: Explain that the elections needed to at least have the appearance of being fair and free. Before Biden landed, days before it was even known he would be visiting, Rahma al-Salim (Asharq Alawsat) reported that Nouri's spokesperson had stated that US attempts to stop the purging "will not achieve anything." Thursday evening, Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was stating, "We are an independent country and will not receive orders from anyone, whether it is a brotherly Arab country, a neighboring country or a friend. Mr. Biden made proposals, but we are committed to safeguard and uphold this constitution."
The appropriate response to that is: We hear you! All US troops will be removed immediately.
Repeatedly Nouri's mouthpiece has stated they do not need American interference but the reality is Nouri already has American interference. It is the US that put Nouri in charge (he was not the Parliament's choice for Prime Minister -- the US nixed the Parliament's choice). It is the US military on the ground in Iraq that has allowed Little Nouri to remain in power.
Should the US leave tomorrow, Nouri's 'power' crumbles.
So let's agree: No US interference.
But understand that supporting that means US forces leave immediately.
We believe they should.
For a number of reasons.
But if Little Nouri and his junior thugs are going to grand stand on the backs of American soldiers (the very backs that keep Little Nouri in power), then pull them out. Pull 'em out to Kuwait and then back to the US. It can be done immediately.
For those who have forgotten (or more likely, never knew), Barack broke his promise on ending the Iraq War. He likes to point to elections as one of the 'delaying' factors. So now we're to be told that Americans had to remain on Iraqi soil for elections that didn't even offer a superficial attempt at legitimacy?
Pull the US troops right now.
