Article

2006-10-24 Iraq

Iraq's PM under pressure as U.S. frustration mounts

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Fred 2006-10-24 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Would you buy a used car from this guy? I didn't think so.

Posted by Captain America 2006-10-24 00:41|| 2006-10-24 00:41|| Front Page Top

#2 You had better become a leader overnight Mr President. Americans are out of charity. Pockets empty, graves full for removing Saddam. So, You are who must take Iraq BOLDLY forward. Forget Poetry.

My brother, Please learn how to lead them instead of playing kindergarden teacher with them.

You are the best pick, now lead. I back you.

Posted by closedanger">closedanger 2006-10-24 02:44|| 2006-10-24 02:44|| Front Page Top

#3 Five months after taking office Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki finds his leadership increasingly paralyzed by wrangling within his coalition and Shi'ite allies, as frustration among U.S. officials grows

Sounds like the American people getting frustrated with Bush's policies and donk defeatism and ankle biting.

They say he has found every decision challenged

Sounds a lot like the situation George Bush has with the donks.

Sounds like we've done a pretty good job of installing American style government over there. Time to start handing out more of that oil money to get the votes to pick a winner and then raise taxes to pay for it.

Think of Sadr City as K Street. The only challenge is to get them to use money instead of bullets.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-10-24 06:59|| 2006-10-24 06:59|| Front Page Top

#4 da problem.

The Iraqis elected the real "good guys" pro US secular democrats to only about 10% of the seats in parliament. Add the Kurds, another 20%, with their own agenda, but willing to do what needs to be done to make things work.

20% Sunni parties, which range from suspicious of the US but pragmatic, to al Qaeeda sympathizers.

But just over 50% went to the United Iraqi Alliance, a Shiite coalition. As long as the UIA acts as a block, you cant make a govt without them. We've made two tries - Jaafari, and now Maliki, to get UIA to lead a coalition govt, and be pragmatic about A. A compromise on federalism that accommodates the sane Sunnis and B. Cracking down on militias.

The problem is that the nastier militias, the Sadrists, are PART of the UIA. And no UIA leader trusts the Sunnis, or the Allawi-secularists, enough to be willing to break with the Sadrists.

so there are two questions facing Condi, Baker, Hadley and whoever else is making policy on Iraq now. 1. Do we have the political will to break the UIA - which means threatening something - either a withdrawl, or a coup, or an unauthorized attack on Sadr that breaks the UIA - to get certain friendly Shia parties to take the leap and break with the Sadrists? 2. Are we prepared to send in enough troops to be able to take down the Sadrists, while holding against the Sunni insurgents, and knowing that many of the trained Iraqi forces are not reliable against the Sadrists?

Note, both these represent admitting that "staying the course" isnt enough - though they deviate from the course in seemingly opposite directions - the first involves the dems favorite strat of setting timetables for the Iraqis - the second involves the McCain approach of more boots on the ground.

Posted by liberalhawk 2006-10-24 16:24|| 2006-10-24 16:24|| Front Page Top

#5 There is another possability, liberalhawk, which is explored on Rantburg here

If we stay, whether it be ten weeks or ten years, at some point the Iraqi Army will be able to stand on its' own. Then we can hang around and make popcorn.

Posted by Bobby 2006-10-24 17:38|| 2006-10-24 17:38|| Front Page Top

21:13 Hupailing Ebbuns2352
18:27 Anonymoose
23:55 NoBeards
23:53 Thoth
23:53 Zenster
23:50 Papa Smurf
23:48 NoBeards
23:46 Thoth
23:46 Zenster
23:44 Zenster
23:43 Papa Smurf
23:42 NoBeards
23:39 Papa Smurf
23:39 Zenster
23:39 Jules
23:34 NoBeards
23:33 Kalle (kafir forever)
23:32 Anguper Hupomosing9418
23:32 Zenster
23:30 Thoth
23:28 Kalle (kafir forever)
23:27 Zenster
23:18 Captain America
23:17 Captain America