refusing to speak to the inspector general

read this and get pissed:


The Justice Department's inspector general testified on Capitol Hill on Thursday that a top national security official refused to cooperate with his investigation into the failed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation and whether there were any links to the White House.
Michael E. Horowitz, whose 471-page report released Wednesday outlined a series of systemic problems at the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told a House oversight committee that then-White House national security assistant Kevin O'Reilly had refused to voluntarily submit to an interview.
O'Reilly was of interest to the investigation, Horowitz said, because of a series of emails between him and William D. Newell, the top ATF supervisor in the Phoenix field office, which ran Fast and Furious. ATF agents allowed illegal gun purchases in hopes of snaring a Mexican drug cartel leader on the Southwest border.

it's from richard a. serrano's 'white house aide declined to cooperate in fast and furious probe' (los angeles times).


i cannot believe how crooked this administration is.

they stone walled congress on the fast and furious program.  they stone walled congress on solyndra.


now it turns out they stonewalled the inspector general as well.

that's disgusting.

that's bush-like.

barack obama has offered not 1 cent of change.  he is exactly the same as bush.

i am so sick of the excuses for this bastard and so tired of excuses for him.  if there were a real left in this country, the push would be behind jill stein, the green party's presidential candidate who supports a green new deal and who supports forgiving all student loans and all the other things this country needs.  jill stein is a real candidate.  she's not republican-lite or non-fat.  she's for the people.

barack?

i don't know what the hell he is but every time i think he can't disappoint me again, he manages to pull it off 1 more time.

let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Thursday, September 20, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, Kim Rivera is arrested, where in Iraq was the US flag burned Tuesday (better question: by who?), Nouri shuts down more night clubs in Baghdad by sending his thugs in to bust them up, and more.   Iraq War veteran and US war resister Kimberly Rivera was arrested today after being forced out of Canada despite support rallies taking place around Canada.  The Canadian Press notes of the Toronto rally, "Wednesday evening's rally in Toronto also attracted faith groups, local activist organizations and veteran associations. David Milne, a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, said he attended the protest because he had witnessed the brutality of war in three trips to Iraq."  Miles Howe (Halifax Media Co-op) covers the Halifax demonstration and notes, "The contingent had gathered over 200 signatures from Nova Scotia supporters of Rivera and her quest to remain in Canada, where she has resided since 2007 with her husband and four children, the two youngest of whom were born in Canada. Rivera, who signed up for the United States military when she was 24, has built a life with her family in Canada. She has been an active member in her community, doing volunteer work and educating others about the Iraq War."  Her story was told today on CBC News: Morning.     Heather Hiscox:  The first female war resister in Canada is scheduled to be deported today but there's still a last gasp effort underway to keep the US Army Private in this country and some well known people are rallying behind her.  Michael Serapio has the details.  Michael, this deportation order looming for Kimberly Rivera? Michael Serapio: That's right Kimberly is an America, you see here in the photo and also in this video here.  Now Kimberly Rivera, we should point out, is originally from Texas and when she was 24-years-old, she joined the US Army.  Now this was in the wake of 9-11.  And she joined the US Army thinking she could help make the United States a safer place.  She was -- after enlisting -- deployed to Iraq and to Baghdad and after serving time there and spending more and more time there, she -- It occurred to her that the casualties were really mounting in terms of civilian death numbers and so she figured she could no longer fight this war with any conscience so she, in 2007, came to Canada.  She came as a conscientious objector, asking to stay in Canada on humanitarian grounds.  And after  a number of years of fighting back and forth, the Immigration Ministry has decided to deny her request to stay in this country and it is that denial of application that has led to the protests that we've seen in the last 24 hours trying to maybe have some kind of an 11th hour rescue for Kim Rivera.  Now we should point out that she has been ordered to leave Canada today.  She says that she and her family will comply.  This despite that Parliament has twice voted to allow War Resisters like her to stay in Canada and despite human rights activists -- some fairly famous ones -- advocating on her behalf, including the Bishop Desmond Tutu out of South Africa.  Take a listen to what he has to say about Kim Rivera: "The deportation order given to Ms. Rivera is unjust and must be challenged.  It's in times when people are swept up in a frenzy of war that it's most important to listen to the quiet voices speaking the truth.  Isn't it time we begin to redress the atrocity of this war by honouring those such as Ms. Rivera who had the courage to stand against it at such a cost to themselves?"  But despite that, Heather, she will be deported today. Heather Hiscox:  Yeah, interesting to read the words of the government saying it doesn't consider these to be international -- like not genuinely refugees under the internationally accepted meaning of the term.  So it looks like this will go ahead despite these high profile supporters.  What will happen to her, Michael, when she return to the US? Michael Serapio:  Well there is a group called War Resisters Canada that have been rallying not only for Kim Rivera but for other American soldiers that came here as conscientious objectors.  They note that the last two Americans sent to the United States were both given prison sentences.  In Kim Rivera's case, they expect her to be court-martialed, to spend at least one year in prison.  And she says the hardest part of it is the separation she will face -- separation from her family, not only her husband but her four children, as you see here in this photo, two of whom were born right here in Canada.   Diana Mehta (Canadian Press) reports, "Kimberly Rivera complied with a deportation order and presented herself at the border at Gananoque, Ont., on Thursday.  The War Resisters Support Campaign -- which issued multiple warnings that Ms. Rivera would likely face a court martial and jail time on her return -- said the mother of four was immediately arrested, detained and transferred to U.S. military custody."  Dan Burns (Reuters) adds that Kim "was taken into custody at the Thousand Islands Bridge border station about 30 miles north of Watertown, N.Y., said Michelle Robidoux, spokeswoman with the War Resisters Support Campaign."   Canada's United Steelworkers issued the following statement:   TORONTO – "Kim Rivera's deportation is an international tragedy," says Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers (USW) National Director. "This gives Canada a black eye on the international stage. Our country's once-proud tradition as a safe haven for conscientious objectors has been destroyed with Kim's deportation," says Neumann. "Kim should have been able to count on her safety by coming to Canada. I, along with her Steelworker supporters, decry her deportation to the U.S. today," says Neumann. "Immigration Minister Jason Kenney had the opportunity to show compassion and do the right thing, and he refused to act," says Neumann. "Two of Kim's children were born here, yet the process for deporting her failed to consider the wellbeing of her family." Rivera presented herself at the Canada-U.S. border in Gananoque, Ont., today, complying with her deportation order issued by the Harper government. In the U.S., the mother of four children faces a prison sentence of two to five years. The USW has supported U.S. Iraq War resisters since 2004 when the first war resister arrived in Canada. The Toronto Steelworkers Hall is offered for the War Resisters Support Campaign's public meetings. During the Vietnam War, 100,000 war resisters came to Canada and more than half of them remain here today. Many of them served in the military, and like Kim, later developed moral objections to the war that they could not ignore. In the 1970s, conscientious objectors who had voluntarily joined the U.S. military were accepted as permanent residents here without distinction from those who were drafted. Public opinion polling shows that a majority of Canadians want our government to continue that tradition today. A 2008 Angus Reid poll found that 64% of Canadians would let U.S. military deserters stay in Canada.   www.resisters.ca More information: Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers National Director, 416-544-5951 Bob Gallagher, United Steelworkers, 416-434-2221, bgallagher@usw.ca 20 September 2012, cbcnews.ca Female U.S. War Resister Deported 17 September 2012, Globe and Mail Don't Deport War Resister Kimberly Rivera         While Kim was being ripped from her family, Nouri al-Maliki (aka Little Saddam) was again attacking freedom.  Alsumaria reports that the federal police stormed social clubs in Baghdad yesterday, shutting them down and expelling patrons and owners. More than any other recent actions, this one has Nouri being called a dictator. The raids echoed earlier ones in Baghdad this month in which clubs were shut down and patrons and owners attacked. From the September 5th snapshot: In other violence, Alsumaria reports that armed forces in police uniforms attacked various social clubs in Baghdad yesterday, beating various people and firing guns in the air. They swarmed clubs and refused to allow anyone to leave but did make time to beat people with the butss of their rifles and pistols, they then destroyed the clubs. AFP adds, "Special forces units carried out near-simultaneous raids at around 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Tuesday 'at dozens of nightclubs in Karrada and Arasat, and beat up customers with the butts of their guns and batons,' said an interior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Artists who were performing at the clubs were also beaten,' the official said." The assaults were ordered by an official who reports only to Nouri al-Maliki. In related news the Great Iraqi Revolution posted video Friday of other attacks on Iraqi civilians by security forces and noted, "Very important :: a leaked video show Iraqi commandos during a raid to Baaj village and the arrest of all the young men in the village .they threatened the ppl of the village they will make them another Fallujah and they do not mind arresting all village's men and leave only women . they kept detainees in a school, and beating them, u can see they burned a car of one of the citizens" And from the September 6th snapshot: Alsumaria notes that Iraqiya, led by Ayad Allawi, has called out the assault on the social clubs and states that it is violation of the Constitution as well as basic human rights. Iraqiya spokesperson Maysoun al-Damalouji called on the security forces to respect the rights of the citizens. Tamim al-Jubouri (Al Mada) adds that the forces working for Nouri attacked many clubs including Club Orient which was established in 1944 and that the patrons including Chrisitans who were surprised Tuesday night when Nouri's forces entered and began breaking furniture, beat patrons and employees and stole booze, cell phones and clothing. So they're not only bullies, they're also theives. Kitabat notes that the people were attacked with batons and gun butts including a number of musicians who were performing live in the club including singer Hussein Basri. Alsumaria adds that the Baghdad Provincial Council states that they were not informed of the assaults on social clubs. Earlier this month, Al Mada attempted to make sense of the confusing stories. Nouri's spoksesperson maintained September 6th that these actions were done to carry out a court order. The Iraqi Supreme Court September 8th denied such an order. If such an order would have been issued, it would make sense to use the police. Of course Baghdad Province was never informed of the raids so that left them and their forces out. The Ministry of the Interior announces they knew nothing of the raids until the news covered it and that their forces did not take part in the raids. An unnameded, high-ranking Ministry of the Interior source states that the order was from Nouri and Nouri alone, that he issued the order and based it upon his role as commander-in-chief. Iraq has a struggling economy already with many people left unemployed with an official unemployment rate of 15.2%. In such a climate, shutting down a vibrant social scene -- and the jobs it creates -- is pretty damn stupid. Also true, it doesn't make anyone want to travel into Iraq to Baghdad. Better to book Erbil or any other location in the KRG. Nouri's Iraq has serious business problems.       Ranking Member Richard Lugar: His experience with managing large embassies is especially critical given the US mission in Iraq is the biggest embassy in the world. The operation includes the huge embassy in Baghdad, several outlying facilities, in Baghdad about ten security cooperation police training sites and consulates in Barsa and Erbil. Employees number approximately 1600 US-direct-hires, 240 Iraqis, thousands of contractors. Iraq sits aside the Sunni-Shia divide that's been the source of great conflict. Politically, Iraq remains fractured along sectarian lines and those divisions appear to have deepened in the last year. Iraq's stability depends on it being integrated with responsible neighbors and the world community. It's longterm future depends on its willingness to stand on the side of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Iraq's political fragmentation and corruption also present fundamental challenges to its economy. An annual World Bank report that analyzes the ease of doing business and the protection of property rights across 183 economies ranked Iraq 164th in 2012 -- down five slots from its 2011 ranking. Despite Prime Minister Maliki's claims that Iraq is open for business, most interested investors and trade partners are challenged to get a visa or definitive answer from the government about tender and bidding processes. According to the World Bank, Iraq last year implemented policies that made it more difficult for Iraqis themselves to do business.     That's Ranking Member Richard Lugar speaking at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing yesterday where the senators heard testimony from Robert S. Beecroft who is nominated to be the new US Ambassador to Iraq.  Yesterday, we noted Committee Chair John Kerry and Senator Mark Rubio's questioning.  Today, we're noting Ranking Member Richard Lugar and Senator Bob Casey who was Acting Chair for the bulk of the hearing.    Lugar spoke movingly of the late US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens who was one of four Americans (Glen Doherty, Sean Smith and Tyrone Woods are the other three who were) killed in an attack on the embassy in Libya last week.  Kerry, Beecroft and others at the hearing noted Stevens' passing and his service but Lugar spoke of working with him when Stevens had been a Pearson Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2006 and 2007 and how he had made a point to stay in touch with the Committee.    On that attack, earlier today Kathleen Hennessey of the Los Angeles Times reported, "The White House is now describing the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi as a 'terrorist attack,' a shift in emphasis after days of describing the lethal assualt as a spontaneous eruption of anger over an anti-Islamic film made in California."  Today in Tripoli, the US State Dept's Deputy Secretary William J. Burns presided over a ceremony honoring Stevens, Doherty, Smith and Woods (link is text and video).    From Lugar's questions:         Ranking Member Richard Lugar:  Let me just follow on Senator Kerry's questioning because what he and you have described is a country which clearly is a sovereign country but without the hydrocarbons law which was anticipated so that the oil, the basic revenue for a good part of managing the government never came into being and therefore deals have been made by the Kurds on occassion with companies outside of Iraq, the sort of -- Commerce is proceeding, with or without the hydrocarbons law and therefore some dispersion of the wealth of the country, quite apart from some questions about how the Kurds fit in to this Iraq situation. Now, as you point out, two important laws, hydrocarbon and the Constitution basically. And the question, therefore, that Iraqis must have, quite apart from Americans, sort of getting back to testimony that we used to hear before this Committee in which some people were advocating that there really were three different countries or we ought to recognize really the realities of Iraq as opposed to having this fiction that there was one country and somehow or other this oil and this constitutional framework representing three major groups -- and others -- would come into being. How does a country operate given these divisions? Granted that Maliki has authority but from time to time there are reports of terrorism in Iraq against Iraqis -- quite apart from the Kurd situation which is hard to describe. And you mention these are still to happen but how do they move towards happening at all? Is there an impetus in the country towards unity, towards cohesion that we should say -- given patience and given time -- this is going to work out? Or is the trend maybe the other way given events in the Middle East, given the ties with Iran, whatever they may be, or the problem of Sunnis and Shi'ites everywhere? Is this really a solid country?   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: Thank you, Senator Lugar. Yes, I think it is. There's a solid basis for the country to go forward and succeed here. While there are forces that would pull Iraq apart, what we continue to see and what's encouraging is that Iraqis continue to-to resolve their differences through dialogue, through negotiation and so when they do have disputes, which they have frequently, to be perfectly honest, they find ways to resolve them peacefully and as part of this democratic process. Our job is to continue to encourage that and to support them as they do that and point out ways where they can do it more effectively. Hydrocarbons law, as you point out, is one way to do that, strengthening the legislative process is another way of doing that. Focusing on key -- helping them to focus on key laws that they need to pass as part of that legislative process -- For example, the, uh, law on the Higher Electoral Comission, putting new commissioners in place. These are the things that will help unify the country over time. Right now, I think it is headed in the right direction. But with plenty of ups and downs on the trend lines. We need to keep the trend line going and try to minimize the downs.     Ranking Member Richard Lugar: Is your counsel appreciated? Our enthusiasm in the United states is obviously for a unified, whole Iraq --     Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: I think by and large, it -- We're listened to very closely. Most Iraqis will say the United States continues to have a role to play in Iraq and I think most Iraqis are committed to the same thing we're committed to which is a unified, federal and democratic Iraq.     Ranking Member Richard Lugar: Now you mentioned the relative security of our embassy and what have you. In the past, there's been considerable discussion, not only among diplomats but among the American public about the size in Iraq. There was discussion when this was first built -- a monumental structure, to say the least. I remember at one conference, I suggested in fact that this structure is so big that it might really serve as a unifying purpose for Middle Eastern countries -- a sort of united forum in which they would all come together -- or like the Hague or what have you. And some people found some interest in this even if the Iraqis did not necessarily nor could our government since its our embassy. But what is the future, simply of all of the real estate, all of the responsibilites? They're huge and this is going to be an ongoing debate, I'm certain, in the Congress as we come to budget problems in this country.     Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: Uhm, thank you very much. We-we recognize that this is an issue we started with an embassy that was staffed to address all possible contingencies, to follow up on the wonderful work that the US military had done in Iraq. Since that time, and again starting with Ambassador [James] Jeffrey, and it's something that I personally am continuing and have been very closely involved in and we will pursue -- We're calling it a "glide path exercise" where we're looking at what our objectives are and how we are resourced and staffed to meet those objectives. And what we've found is that we can prioritize and can focus our mission and will continue to do that on what we really need to accomplish. And as we do that, we're able to reduce personnel. Since the beginning of the year, we have reduced personnel by more than 2,000. We're now somewhere between 13,000 and 14,000 personnel in Iraq -- down from over 16. Facilities? We have given back in the last couple of days, facilites we had in Kirkuk, had an airbase up there, and facilities we had in Baghdad for police training center. And we have another facility in the next few days which we'll give back also in Baghdad.  So we're reducing not just the number of personnel but we're reducing the number of pieces of property we occupy and use and we are very mindeful of the cost that it takes to support the mission in Iraq and I personally am dedicated to reducing those costs by again focusing on the mission on what we really need to achieve.     It continues but we're stopping him there. Yesterday, he got to have his say in the snapshot. We didn't fact check him because he's a diplomat and hopefully he doesn't believe half the happy talk he's saying but feels its necessary for relations should he be confirmed. So when he claims that Iraq is resolving differences through politics, we just roll our eyes, think of the still unimplemented Erbil Agreement and chuckle.   But now we're to the part where his statements require a fact check.   If Republicans wanted to lodge an objection to the nomination -- they don't -- this is where it would come from:   Facilities? We have given back in the last couple of days, facilites we had in Kirkuk, had an airbase up there, and facilities we had in Baghdad for police training center. And we have another facility in the next few days which we'll give back also in Baghdad.  So we're reducing not just the number of personnel but we're reducing the number of pieces of property we occupy and use and we are very mindeful of the cost that it takes to support the mission in Iraq and I personally am dedicated to reducing those costs by again focusing on the mission on what we really need to achieve.   Do you see the problem?   Members of the Senate might not but House members most likely would immediately. It's not often the State Dept gets both caught lying in a hearing and fact checked in a hearing but that happened at the June 19th House Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations. The State Dept's Patrick Kennedy was confronted with the fact that the US government was using land in Iraq that they had not secured lease agreements for. That's why the police training facility in Bahgdad was turned over. Kennedy lied and thought he could get away with it. Apparently he forgot who was on the second panel: the US Government Accountability Office's Michael Courts, the State Dept's Acting Inspecting General Harold Geisel, DoD's Special Deputy Inspector General for Southwest Asia Mickey McDermott, USAID's Deputy Inspector General Michael Carroll and the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen Jr.     Acting Chair Blake Farenthold: Mr. Courts, Ambassador Kennedy and I got into a discussion about the absence of or presence of land use agreements for the facilities we have in Iraq do you have the current status for that information from your latest eport as to what facilities we do and do not have land use agreements for?   Michael Courts: What Ambassador Kennedy may have been referring to that for 13 of the 14 facilities the Iraqis have acknowledged a presence through diplomatic notes. But there's still only 5 of the 14 for which we actually have explicit title land use agreements or leases. Acting Chair Blake Farenthold: Alright so I'm not -- I'm not a diplomat. So what does that mean? They say, "Oh, you can use it until we change our minds" -- is that basically what those are? Or is there some force of law to those notes? Michael Courts: Well the notes are definitely not the same thing as having an explicit agreement. And as a matter of fact, there's already been one case where the Iraqis required us to reconfigure, downsize one of our sites. And that was at one of the sites where we did not have a land use agreement and so obviously we're in a much more vulnerable position when there's not an explicit agreement. After the elections, the House Oversight and Government Reform needs to hold a hearing about this.      We have given back in the last couple of days, facilites we had in Kirkuk, had an airbase up there, and facilities we had in Baghdad for police training center. And we have another facility in the next few days which we'll give back also in Baghdad.     Unless something's changed since June, these facilities are being handed over for free.  And they're being handed over because the administration did not secure land-lease agreements.  The US taxpayer footed the bill.  And Beecroft is talking about how "we have another facility in the next few days which we'll give back also in Baghdad."  In June, Patrick Kennedy didn't give that impression.  In fact, he stated that the police training center in Baghdad was the only thing being given away and he lied that there were land-lease agreements for all properties.  Patrick Kennedy needs to be called before the Committee and asked why his testimony in June is in so much conflict with what's taken place in September.  If it were earlier in the year, it might happen.  But it will be hard to schedule the hearing in the brief amount of time left.  (October means all House members seeking re-election return home to campaign.  All 435 seats in the House are being elected.)  Possibly after the election, they can ask Patrick Kennedy to return and explain himself to the Committee?   Beecroft  told Lugar that protests in Iraq -- similar to others against the video in the region -- were mild.  I don't think that's an accurate description.  More to the point, he seemed unaware of a Tuesday action Dar Addustour reported.  An American flag was burned.  How is that any different from any other protest?  Well it was burned by an MP.  An elected official, a member of the Parliament burned it.  He is Hussein Aziz al-Sharifi.  And we're not done.  He didn't burn it in the streets of Basra, he burned it outside the US Embassy in Baghdad.  As a member of Parliament, he can enter the Green Zone.  So he was able to go in front of the US Embassy in Baghdad and burn the flag.  The Committee should have been informed of that.  Since Beecroft is acting US ambassador currently, he should have been informed of what happened outside the US Embassy on Tuesday before he testified to the Senate on Wednesday.  Let's remember what he told John Kerry about the safety in Iraq.   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: For some time now and all the more so in light of recent events we have taken a very cautious and careful look at our security on a regular basis.  We have our own security at the Embassy.  We think it is sizable.  It is robust.  And we're very confident that it's what we need at this time.  At the same time,  we're fully engaged with Iraqi officials both poltiical and security officials at the most senior levels to make sure that they give us the cooperation that we feel we need and so far they have done that.  They have pledged to protect us and we're doing everything   to ensure that they keep to that pledge and that we meet our part of it by ensuring that we're as safe as we can be on our terms.  At the same time, I'd comment, we enjoy geographic advantages.  The Embassy is located inside the International Zone, the Green Zone, as you know, and there are a number of checkpoints that are closely guarded getting into it.  It's not a place where demonstrations usually take place.     "It's not a place where demonstrations usually take place."  Chuckle implied.  But on Tuesday, a member of Parliament staged a protest, burned the US flag outside the Embassy.  That's a huge insult but, more importantly, it raises serious security questions.   And now we'll turn to a monumental moment for Congress in the continued Iraq War.  This took place during an exchange with Senator Bob Casey and try to remember when there were actual expectations for Iraq.       Acting Chair Bob Casey: I want to also ask you about the politics of Iraq.  We sometimes don't have a chance to spend enough time on an issue like that.  But I was struck when I was there in July -- I guess it was July of 2010 -- Senator [Jeanne] Shaheen and Senator Ted Kaufman from Delaware, the three of us were there.  Our visit to Iraq just happened to overlap with a visit from the Vice President [Joe Biden] so we had a moment -- probably a two hour window -- where we could actually sit with him and he had just come from a series of meetings with various Iraqi officials trying to work out the politics and the difficult management of that, doing everything he could to bring the sides together.  As you know a lot better than I, it's one thing to have political ideological differences, it's another thing when it has its origin in ethnicity and all kinds of other divisions, it's particularly difficult to bring the sides together.  Now the concern -- and I was also struck by how capable the Vice President was in dealing with that because he spent a lot of time with all these players. There's still a real concern that those politics haven't worked out as well as we'd  hoped.  And, in particular, there's a concern -- or maybe an allegation, that might be too strong of a word -- that Prime Minister Malaki is becoming more and more authoritarian.  And I wanted to get your sense of that and your sense of the overall politics because that of course will be the underpinning of progress.  They can't make progress to the extent that we would hope unless they can manage those political differences. So I wanted to get your sense of that and maybe what you could do to further advance those -- those areas of cooperation or consensus.   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: Thank you.  There clearly are divisions within Iraq and different interests in Iraq but what we see and what's encouraging is that the parties -- when they have disputes, when they have differences -- that at the end of the day, they come together to talk and negotiate this -- their differences.  And they continue to function as democracy, they continue to work in the legislature, in the Council of Ministers and outside it in in formal processes or official processes and find their way forward.  Now it's often times a slow protracted process. It certainly does not move at the pace that we would like to see or at the efficiency that we would like to see.  But as I see it, our role is largely to encourage this, to point -- to be helpful in pointing out ways forwards, ways things might be done, the way they might be able to compromise or reach consensus on issues.  And then to be as helpful as possible to help them avoid any backsliding on those agreements and to find ways to help consolidate them.  And we'll continue doing that as best we can.  But, again, I'd like to reiterate that the encouraging thing is that Iraq has not fallen apart, that it has held together.       The encouraging this is that Iraq has not fallen apart?  Do you really think the US government would have had such a 'cakewalk' of selling the illegal war in 2002 and 2003 if they'd told the American people that "success" would be measured by the fact "that Iraq has not fallen apart."  Wow.  What a lowered expectation.  The encouraging thing is that Iraq has not fallen apart?   Ranking Member Richard Lugar noted early in the hearing, "Though some significant down-sizing has occurred, the Iraq operation continue to be enormously expensive. How does the administration define US goals in Iraq? What are the prospects for achieving these goals? And what resources will be required over the long term?"  Those are important questions.  They weren't answered in the hearing -- and no nominee could have been expected to answer them.  But the administration needs to.  Bush had to come up with benchmarks to justify the continued spending of US tax dollars.  Barack should have to as well.   And, no, Iraq 'not falling apart' doesn't justify a billion, a million or even a single penny for a continued US mission.       Nouri al-Maliki is not a thin man. He'd probably best be described as stocky (not fat, stocky). In a sign of just how large Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq, now is, the photo Dar Addustour runs indicates it would take over three Nouris to make one Jalal. Talabani just returned to Iraq this week from Germany, where's he been since June following knee surgery.  His huge girth isn't healthy and that would explain why Wael Grace (Al Mada) reports Nouri was checking on Jalal's health with the visit and why  All Iraq News reports Sheikh Bashir al-Najafi phoned Talabani today to check on Jalal's health.  The outlet also notes that the National Alliance's Ibrahim al-Jaafari visited Jalal in Sulaymaniyah.  Accompanying Nouri to Sulaymaniyah and then to Najaf, Alsumaria reports,  was the human clutch purse Saleh al-Mutlaq.  No doubt, Saleh walked behind Nouri as he played Jiang Qing to Nouri's Chairman Mao.   Chairman Mao's rule was characterized by a wave of purges.  Nouri has so much in common with Mao.  Alsumaria reports tribal elders in Salahuddin Province are saying that the work of the Justice and Accountability Commission should be concluded and that a law should be passed dissolving the commission.  And their demand is correct.  The Justice and Accountability Commission was not supposed to be a standing committee.  It was supposed to term out.  Nouri, in fact, in 2007 promised it would do just that.  That was part of the benchmarks he signed onto.  It wasn't supposed to exist in 2010 -- remember how Saleh al-Mutlaq decried it, especially after it banned him -- but was used to eliminate political rivials.  It's not supposed to exist today and, as long as it exists, the damaging de-Ba'athification of Iraq continues.  (De-Ba'athifcation refers to the policy Paul Bremer implemented in Iraq on behalf of the Bush White House.  This policy was repeatedly and widely condemned by British officials testifying to the Iraq Inquiry in London.)  In related news, Dar Addustour reports that the Chair of the Parliament's Commission on Security and Defense, Hassan Sinead, has signed an order allowing MPs to purchase personal weapons because, as the document notes, members of Parliament don't trust the so-called security forces to protect them.   And who can trust Nouri?  Alsumaria reports State of Law is attempting to collect signatures to force KRG President Massoud Barzani to submit to an interrogation before Parliament.   Earlier this week a drone the Turkish government got from the United States crashed in Dohuk.  All Iraq News reports that the PKK is stating they shot the drone down.  In other shooting news, Al Rafidayn reports that 1 government employee was shot dead in Baghdad and that a police officer with counter-terrorism survived a Tikrit assassination attempt (bombing).  All Iraq News adds that 1 person was shot dead in Mosul.  Alsumaria notes a suicide bomber blew his/herself up in Diyala Province (no one else was injured), 1 member of the Association of Muslim Scholars was shot dead in Nineveh,  and 1 corpse was discovered in Mosul.     In the US, Jill Stein is the Green Party presidential candidate.  Her campaign issued the following today:   Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced plans to challenge Monday's federal court ruling protecting American liberty from the NDAA. In response, Dr. Jill Stein issued the following statement today: It is important for everyone concerned with the preservation of liberty in America to stand up now against the Obama administration's attempt to defend the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Thanks to a lawsuit brought by journalist Chris Hedges and others, a federal judge ruled that indefinite detention is unconstitutional.  The judge said that it could allow a president to indefinitely imprison journalists - or anyone else they considered to be in some way assisting the enemy in the War on Terror - without charging them with a specific crime or giving them a chance to defend themselves in court.  The judge noted that this would have a chilling effect upon journalists reporting stories that displeased the government. The judge told the Obama administration that they could not use the law.  The response of the Administration was to file for an emergency measure to keep the law in effect while they appeal the ruling. Indefinite detention without trial is used to suppress dissent by dictators around the world.  It is the type of oppressive executive power that our Constitution was written to forbid.   It's time to tell President Obama that it doesn't belong in America. Please don't let this pass without raising your voice.  Once your rights are taken away, it will be too late to protest. This isn't just a matter for the lawyers to decide.  This threat to our constitutional rights is arising from a "look tough" political strategy adopted by the Obama administration.  The Administration needs to understand that continuing down this path will exact a political price.  They must be told that Americans resent their attempts to defend a law that undermines the constitution. I and my running mate, Cheri Honkala, have opposed the indefinite detention provision from the time President Obama signed it.  We also urge people to join us in signing the "First Amendment Pledge" against the use of military-style police tactics to intimidate people demonstrating against government policies (See http://www.firstamendmentpledge.org/ ).  We will continue to speak up against the ongoing attempts to militarize our justice system and undermine our rights of free speech.       iraq the record the canadian press halifax media co-op miles howe   cbc heather hiscox michael serapio war resisters support campaign all iraq news bbc news al rafidayn  al mada kitabat

revenge

i hope you read mike's 'Revenge' last night.  he spent the last few days streaming season 1 on netflix.  i'm glad he liked the show because i really love it.

remember, it returns on sunday september 30th.  season 2.

so mike caught a lot of good stuff in his review including the use of music, which i really had never commented on and i'm not sure it registered with me until i was reading mike's piece. but suddenly, i remembered those winter episodes and daniel, for example, angry in the grayson mansion, with the bracelet around his ankle, victoria (his mother) telling him emily was too close to jack and that music rolling in like waves.  it really did add to the atmosphere of the show.

i wish i had thought to credit the music.

it's kind of like a jaws theme, you know?

so daniel, e-mailed brandy, do i really not like him?

i just see emily (the real amanda) as being perfect for jack.

daniel was always too smooth and far too wise for a man who hadn't done a thing with his life but crash his car and destroy a girl's life as a result.

it's not like he used that incident to improve life.  it made him (briefly) stop drinking.  that was for him.  there was no sense that daniel felt like taking that young woman's ability to walk away from her because he drove drunk registered or was something that he felt he had to make up for.  his parents paid the family off and that was that for daniel.

he's shallow and has a mean streak.

jack's like sammy.  yes, sammy was amanda's dog.  but he was loyal and dependable and would protect you.  that's how i see jack.

jack's a grown up.  not a little boy trying to be a man.

he's raising his brother.  he's had years of having to put his life on hold for 1 thing or another.  he knows about sacrifice and putting other people 1st.  so he's a grown up.

and it doesn't hurt that he's sexy as hell.

again, season 2 of the show starts sunday night, september 30th on abc.


let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Wednesday, September 19, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, mass arrestes continue, the Federal Court says the Electoral Commission needs to add members in order to ensure the representation of women, Robert S. Beecroft has his confirmation hearing for US Ambassador to Iraq, Canadians try to convince Stephen Harper to let Kim Rivera stay in Canada as the world watches, and more.     It's really not about being a veteran or her stance as a war resister.  Kimberly Rivera is both of those things.  But she's not in the military now.  What is she?  A young mother of four children -- the youngest being only 18-months old.  And she and her husband have made a home for those children in Canada.  She and her husband went to Canada to make a home there.  And now she may be forced out.    She's been ordered by the Stephen Harper government to leave Canada by tomorrow.  If she doesn't, she faces deportation.   She went to Canada to have a safe home for her family.  That wasn't requesting the world, that wasn't asking for the moon and the stars.  She wants to become a Canadian citizen and has done her part to go through that process.   Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney would apparently rather kick out a mother, risk separating her from her children, than offer the most basic kindness of residency or citizenship to this woman who has spent over five years in Canada embracing the country she wants to make her own.   Patty Winsa (Toronto Star) reports today:   A Thursday deportation order looms, despite frantic calls from supporters, politicians and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner to stay the order and allow Rivera and her family, including two Canadian-born children, to remain. Rallies were slated at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in front of the Federal Court building and in several other cities from Halifax to Vancouver. Ottawa, which in the 1960s allowed both draft-dodgers and Vietnam deserters to immigrate freely, has taken a hard line this time. They're "not genuine refugees under the internationally accepted meaning of the term," Alexis Pavlich, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, wrote in an email. "These unfounded claims clog up our system for genuine refugees who are actually fleeing persecution." Rivera has applied to stay permanently on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. That request continues despite the deportation order that followed a negative "pre-removal risk assessment," which is based on whether the person's return could result in persecution, torture, cruel and unusual punishment, or even loss of life.     Does Stephen Harper not grasp how cruel he's going to look on the world stage if he deports a mother?  That the obvious question in people's mind -- or, better, accusation, is going to be, "Oh, that Harper, yeah, he'd deport his own mother if he could."  It's not going to look good, it's not going to increase his standing.  Offering Kim residency or citizenship could change things immediately, could improve his image and have the whole world talking -- saying good things -- about him.  But maybe he's okay with being considered Little Bush?  John Howard took that route and, outside of Australia, most people don't know his name but think of him as a min-George W. Bush.  Is that the fate that Harper wants?   He could do so much for his own image just by doing something so minor to him but so major for Kim, her children and her husband.   The War Resisters Support Campaign staged rallies throughout Canada today.  CBC notes, "Members of the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War set up camp in front of the Federal Building at 55 Bay St. North on Wednesday in support of former American soldier and conscientious objector Kimberly Rivera."  In addition, the Canadian Press notes, "A number of people have gathered in downtown Toronto for an eleventh-hour protest against the planned deportation of U.S. war resister Kimberly Rivera."  Krystalline Kraus (Rabble) reports, "According to Michelle Robidoux, a spokesperson for the War Resisters Support Campaign (WRSC). '(Kim) faces a court martial and jail sentence, which, based on what other people have gotten, is a harsh jail sentence,' Robidoux said. 'She will be separated from her family. Her husband suffers from a disability and he's going to have four kids on his hands'."   Cracks about deporting his own mother?  If Stephen Harper deports Kim, people will be saying things like, "Forget saying the inn was full, Harper would have denied Mary the manger as well!"  Who is advising Stephen Harper, who is telling him, "This is the way you, the Prime Minister of Canada, wants to be seen by the whole world"?  He's not getting good advice.   Yves Engler (iPolitics.ca) reports on Kim and notes what she saw in Iraq: While Rivera expected to spend her time unloading equipment at a Colorado base she soon found herself guarding a foreign operating base in Iraq. It was from this vantage point that she became disillusioned with the war. Riviera was troubled by a two-year-old Iraqi girl who came to the base with her family to claim compensation after a bombing by U.S. forces. "She was just petrified", Rivera explained. "She was crying, but there was no sound, just tears flowing out of her eyes. She was shaking. I have no idea what had happened in her little life. All I know is I wasn't seeing her: I was seeing my own little girl. I could imagine my daughter being one of those kids throwing rocks at soldiers, because maybe someone she loved had been killed. That Iraqi girl haunts my soul."   Deporting Kim will haunt the reputation of a number of Canadian officials.    Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls for  Kim to remain in Canada.  Erin Criger (City News) notes "Amnesty International, the Canadian Labour Congress and the United Church of Canada have all supported Rivera."  In addition, many individual Canadians support her as well as organizations such as the United Steelworkers of Canada which issued a statement calling for the government of Canada to let Kim and her family stay  and  Canada's National Union of Public and General Employees which also issued a statement.   She also has the support of the United Church of Canada.  Joining the call today, Luke Stewart observes in his letter to the editor of The Record, "It was guarding the front gate of a forward operating base in Baghdad where Rivera's conscience grew with every fatal day. She decided she could no longer participate in the war that Kofi Annan, then the UN Secretary General, said in 2004 was illegal under the United Nations Charter."  Leah Bolger and Gerry Condon of Veterans For Peace note in their open letter, "According to the UN Handbook on Refugees, soldiers who refuse to fight in wars that are widely condemned by the international community should be considered as refugees. Unfortunately, the Immigration and Refugee Board in Canada has yet to grant asylum to a single person who refused to kill in the war against Iraq, a war that has most certainly been condemned by peoples and nations around the globe."   19,739 people have now signed the War Resisters Support Campaign's petition for Kim to stay.  It's a new petition, started only a few weeks ago.  There is support for Kim.  What is done to her and her children will register -- across borders, around the world.  Stephen Harper has a chance to do something that will help a family and also enhance his worldwide standing.  Or he can deport her and turn himself into a joke.  Again, I have to wonder who is advising Harper because the humane thing to do here is also the politically smart thing.     Maybe Harper's advisors are all on drugs?  Meanwhile, in the US, did we all just drop acid?  How else to explain the approximately 75 minute flashback today?       Senator John Kerry: Mr. Ambassador, I remember sitting downstairs, we were in this building on the ground floor in that big hearing room, when Secretary Condolezza Rice testified and I remember her saying to us vividly, 'Well we're just a few weeks away from signing an agreement on the oil -- on the division of the oil and having an oil agreement -- a global oil agreement for Iraq.' I guess we're about five years later now, maybe six. I don't remember the precise timing of that [January 11, 2007 was the date of one Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where she made that statement], still no agreement, still the problem with the Kurds, still the problem with the Sunni majority feeling divorced, there's a certain amount of skepticism now about whether or not the current government actually intends for the government to be a pluralistic, representative government or whether they're moving towards some other form of sectarian division here.   [. . .]   Senator Bob Corker:  When Senator [John] Barrasso and I first got here, which was five-and-a-half years ago roughly, five years ago for him, we were talking about the hydrocarbon discussion at that time.  And I remember sitting and interact with [US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay] Khalilzad as he was running back and forth trying to work out some hydrocarbon law at that time.  Still nothing's happened.     Yes, it was all the things we'd heard before.  Restated yet again.  And longtime Congressional watchers probably wished US House Rep Llloyd Doggett could suddenly emerge and hit hard on those failed benchmarks for Iraq that were never achieved, not even now, over five years after Nouri signed off on them.  There is still no progress in Iraq and yet we are still told that it's just around the corner.   This morning, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Robert S. Beecroft to the position of US Ambassador to Iraq.  Beecroft is career State Dept.  It's rare that someone is able to move up to ambassador -- more often than not these posts are doled out based on political favors and financial contributions.  Granted, Iraq is not a glamor post but it is a high profile one.   The problem with career diplomats is that they make for lousy witnesses until they leave the diplomatic service.  They practice the craft they're so good at and you saw that with Robert Beecroft today.  Did he spin?  That's really not the word for it.  It's as if he was asked if someone had bad breath and he chose to respond by noting their youthful skin and not commenting on the breath issue.  He didn't lie, he did practice diplomacy.     Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  I have spent most of my career working on the Middle East, including assignments in Syria and Saudi Arabia and as Ambassador to Jordan.  For much of my career, I have been immersed in Iraq issues -- from the Iraq Desk in Washington, DC to recently serving as Deputy Chief of Mission and now Charge d'Affaires in Baghdad.  I stand on the shoulders of the thousands of brave and committed Americans who have worked, fought, and died to help the Iraqi people achiever our shared goal of a united, federal, and democratic Iraq.  If confirmed, I would commit to continuing their work to build a lasting partnership with Iraq.  In so doing, I would labor alongside a team of able and dedicated personnel who understand the importance of achieving success.  While the size and nature of our presence may have changed, our interests and commitments remain the same, and Iraq continues to be a top priority for the United States.   There is nothing shockable in that statement or even eyebrow raising.  It was smooth and I'll assume sincere.  However, what was lacking was a point of view.    By contrast, campaign donors who usually get nominated to be ambassadors come in with a strong point of view.  If they can learn some diplomatic skills, they can be effective as ambassadors.  Their strong point of view can clash with an administration's point of view leading to a better point of view when all points are debated.  What Beecroft needs to work on -- especially if Barack is re-elected in November -- is sharpening and expressing his point of view.  If he's moved up to team leader, that will require a point of view.   The hearing  started 12 minutes late and ending well before the 90 minute mark.   Senator John Kerry is the Chair of the Committee.   Chair John Kerry:  This is not a time for delay.  There's no substitute for having a confirmed ambassador in place and ready to hit the ground running -- especially at this critical moment in the region.  It's my hope to move this nomination as rapidly as we can in the next 48 hours because we must have a confirmed ambassador and it would be a dereliction of the Congress' responsibility were we to leave here for the next 6 weeks and not have done so.   That was from his opening remarks.   As we noted last week, there should be an ambassador to Iraq.  Right now, there should be.  Both countries need for there to be one.    However, no one forced the White House to nominate the insulting Brett McGurk and no one forced the White House to wait so long to name a new nominee after McGurk's name was withdrawn.  I remember the Attorney General nominations of 1993.  That was rough and Republicans were determined to defeat the nominees.  Plural. Bill Clinton nominated Zoe Baird for the post.  Her nomination was derailed and she withdrew her name January 22, 1993.  Clinton goes on to announce a new nominee: Kima Wood.  Kimba Wood withdraws her name February 5, 1993.  Clinton then nominated Janet Reno who was confirmed March 11, 1993 on a 98 to zero vote in the Senate.  January 20, 1993, Bill Clinton was sworn in as President of the United States.  March 11th, Reno -- his third nominee -- was confirmed as Attorney General. That's moving quickly. By contrast?  June 18th McGurk's name is withdrawn.  Late  September 10th word leaks out that Beecroft is Barack's new nominee and it's made official with an announcement September 11th.  In less than two months, President Bill Clinton names 3 different nominees for Attorney General and gets one confirmed.  Eight days shy of three months after McGurk's name is withdrawn, President Barack Obama is finally able to find someone to nominate for the post (Beecroft, the person who's been doing the work all that time).  If Senate Dems want to whine that Paul's creating a delay on that nomination, Barack's the one who created the delay and dragged his feet. The average time between confirmation hearings and a vote is said to be ten days.  That would be September 28th and that's awfully close to when senators facing re-election battles have tor return home.  That was also foot dragging by the administration which should have planned it much better. No one thinks Beecroft is going to lead to "no" votes, not any significant number if even that.  Beecroft has been doing the job he's nominated for already -- for several months.  He has many outstanding qualifications.  But other issues may lead the vote to be postponed.  If that happens, that's on the White House.  Don't wait until September to make a nomination and then expect everyone to go along with it.  The nomination should have been made months ago.  Beecroft got the nomination because (a) he is qualifed and (b) he's already doing the job.  There doesn't seem to be any doubts about that or about Beecroft from members of the Committee.  It's a shame the White House couldn't have nominated him March 26th instead of McGurk.  It's a shame that the White House didn't withdraw the nomination months earlier -- from the start there were problems including Iraqiya's opposition to McGurk.  As has been the case since the start of the Barack Obama administration, they need to do a better job vetting their prospects before nominating them.  Barring that, they need to be preparing back up candidates.  Bill Clinton had two nominees go down in flames before Janet Reno was confirmed as Attorney General.  He didn't stumble. He didn't fall down whining.  He named another nominee.  And another if that was needed.  That's what a functioning administration does.  It doesn't wait three months after their failed nominee's name is withdrawn to finally get around to naming another nominee.   The hearing had a lot worth noting.  We're going to note Chair John Kerry and Senator Marc Rubio today.  Tomorrow, we'll note Ranking Member Richard Lugar and Senator Bob Casey.  Here is Kerry's line of questioning for the nominee.     Chair John Kerry:  Our Embassy in Baghdad, the Consulates in Erbil and Basra and other offices supporting the Embassy and Office of Security Cooperation still number about 14,000 people.  And that makes it our largest mission in the world.  We are going to need someone with Ambassador Beecroft's demonstrated management skills to rightsize the mission and to ensure that all the appropriate security measures are in place to keep our staff safe and secure.  Iraq's leaders have a rare opportunity to consolidate their democracy and build a strong, durable  institution or set of institutions to hold the country together.  But more will be required of the Iraqi government.   Questions remain about whether Iraqi leaders -- including the prime minister -- aspire to represent a unified Iraq in all of its diversity or rather they seek to govern narrowly according to ethnic and sectarian tendencies.  To ensure that parliamentary elections in 2014 are free and fair,  Iraq's Electoral Commission must be professional, transparent and impartial.  Iraqi leaders across the political spectrum must also be willing to make tough compromises and put national priorities over personal ambitions.  It is no secret that we are at a moment of heightened sectarian tensions in the Middle East.  Iraqi leaders should understand that the best way to insulate themselves from the horrific violence in Syria is through meaningful, political compromise in Iraq.  As Iraq's leaders work to establish a more stable political order, they need to redouble efforts to reach agreement on disputed boundaries, on oil and on Kirkuk's final status.  If progress is not made on diffusing tensions, the window for peaceful resolution of Kirkuk and other disputed territories may well close.  Baghdad and Erbil must resolve their differences on the Kurdish Region's authority to enter into oil exploration and production contracts.  To their credit, the Iraqis have made efforts to resolve issues related to revenue sharing but the country still lacks an overarching, legal framework for its oil industry.   Without this agreement, Iraq will be unable to unleash the full potential of its oil sector.  For years, Iraq has focused on its internal politics but it must now also start to look outwards.  It is not surprising that Iraq seeks neighborly relations with Iran but the reports of Iran using Iraq airspace to resupply Assad's ruthless regime are troubling.      Chair John Kerry:  Can you share with me an answer to the issue I raised about the Iranians using American airspace in order to support [Syrian President Bashar] Assad?  What are we doing, what have you been doing -- if anything, to try to limit that use?   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: I have personally engaged on this repeatedly at the highest levels of Iraqi government.  My colleagues in Baghdad have engaged on this.  We're continuing to engage on it.  And every single visitor representing the US government from the Senate, recently three visitors, to administration officials has raised it with the Iraqis and made very clear that we find this unnaceptable and we find it unhelpful and detrimental to the region and to Iraq and, of course -- first and foremost, to the Syrian people.  It's something that needs to stop and we are pressing and will continue to press until it does stop.   Chair John Kerry: Well, I mean, it may stop when it's too late.  If so many people have entreated the government to stop and that doesn't seem to be having an impact -- uh,  that sort of alarms me a little bit and seems to send a signal to me: Maybe -- Maybe we should make some of our assistance or some of our support contingent on some kind of appropriate response?  I mean it just seems completely inappropriate that we're trying to help build their democracy, support them, put American lives on the line, money into the country and they're working against our insterest so overtly -- agains their own interests too -- I might add.   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  Senator, Senator, I share your concerns 100%.  I'll continue to engage.  And, with your permission, I will make very clear to the Iraqis what you've said to me today -- and that is you find it alarming and that it may put our assistance and our cooperation on issues at stake.   Chair John Kerry:  Well I think that it would be very hard.  I mean, around here, I think right now there's a lot of anxiety about places that seem to be trying to have it both ways.  So I wish you would relay that obviously and I think that members of the Committee would -- would want to do so.  Can you tell us with respect to the safety issues --  personnel and our citizens there -- are you taking extra steps now?  Are there additional initiatives in place as a result of what's happened in the last week or two?   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft: For some time now and all the more so in light of recent events we have taken a very cautious and careful look at our security on a regular basis.  We have our own security at the Embassy.  We think it is sizable.  It is robust.  And we're very confident that it's what we need at this time.  At the same time,  we're fully engaged with Iraqi officials both poltiical and security officials at the most senior levels to make sure that they give us the cooperation that we feel we need and so far they have done that.  They have pledged to protect us and we're doing everything   to ensure that they keep to that pledge and that we meet our part of it by ensuring that we're as safe as we can be on our terms.  At the same time, I'd comment, we enjoy geographic advantages.  The Embassy is located inside the International Zone, the Green Zone, as you know, and there are a number of checkpoints that are closely guarded getting into it.  It's not a place where demonstrations usually take place.   Chair John Kerry: What's the reaction of the Iraqi people been to the events of the last weeks?     Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:   So far, compared to other places in the region, it's been quite muted.  There have been demonstrations throughout the country but they've been low level.  And there's been nothing that's specifically threatening.  There have been statements highly critical of the film that is at issue and statements by some political leaders that they should examine their relationship with the United States because of this film.  But on the whole, we get good cooperation.  We continue to engage and Iraqi officials are meeting with us on regularly and going about business.   Chair John Kerry: Increasingly, we are hearing more anecdotal and other reports about the increased authoritarianism of the Maliki government and of the political system itself perhaps becoming less diplomatic and so forth.  Can you share your perceptions of that with us and how you see this trendline moving.   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:   Uh, Iraq is a democracy.  It does face a lot of issues that are challenging to that democracy.  Uhm, it is fragile in many ways.  We are working constantly with all sides -- with the prime minister, with his party, his bloc, with other blocs and other parties across the political spectrum to ensure that democratic institutions and the democratic process is strengthened.  And, in short what we're doing is pushing them all to engage, to pursue their interests  in the legislative process, in an independent reform process that they've agreed to.  In other words, use the system to achieve what you need rather than look outside the system and make it fall apart.   Chair John Kerry:  Mr. Ambassador, I remember sitting downstairs, we were in this building on the ground floor in that big hearing room, when Secretary Condolezza Rice testified and I remember her saying to us vividly, 'Well we're just a few weeks away from signing an agreement on the oil -- on the division of the oil and having an oil agreement -- a global oil agreement for Iraq.'  I guess we're about five years later now, maybe six.  I don't remember the precise timing of that [January 11, 2007 was the date of one Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where she made that statement], still no agreement, still the problem with the Kurds, still the problem with the Sunni majority feeling divorced, there's a certain amount of skepticism now about whether or not the current government actually intends for the government to be a pluralistic, representative government or whether they're moving towards some other form of sectarian division here.  I think a lot of people are worried about it.  Can you share your persepctive about that?   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  Uh, you're right about the hydrocarbons law.  There still is no hydrocaborns law.  We think this-this -- next ot Iraq's Constitution, is one of the most important laws that could go in place in the country.  We're pushing it very aggressively.  Most recently, Ambassador Carlos Pascual from the State Department, who looks after energy issues there, and a representative from the Dept of Energy [Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs Jonathan Elkind] came to Iraq, met with Iraqi officials, Deputy Bill Burns [] followed up last week with a visit and pushed the same issue.  We're pointing out to them this is a way to unite and unify the country -- which is what they need to do at this time.  I am pleased to say that there has been some subsequent engagement by the Iraqis on oil issues and some discussion of restarting negotiations on the hydrocarbons law and we're going to continue to push them in that direction.  It's a positive trend and a positive sign.  Most recently, representatives from the Kurdish Regional Government were in Baghdad only a few days ago, meeting with the Minister of Oil there and -- by all reports, what we see, what we hear in the press -- they did make some progress and they're moving forward on that.  So while it's not  the hydrocarbons law itself, these are issues we're see in the press, they did make some progress and they're moving forward on that.  And so while it's not the hydrocarbons law itself, these are issues which should smooth relations and allow for the hydrocarbons law to go forward in the future.     Could aid be cut off or made conditional?   It was a Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in 2008 that led to the government of Iraq being responsible for paying Sahwa and not American tax payers.  From that day's snapshot -- and "she" is Senator Barbara Boxer:   She wanted to know about the training, all the training, that had gone on and then on again.  "We've done a lot for the Iraqis just in terms of the numbers themselves," Boxer declared.  "I'll tell you what concerns me and most of my constituents, you said -- many times -- the gains in Iraq are fragile and reversable. . . . So my constituents and I believe that" after all the deaths, all the money, "you have to wonder why the best that you can say is that the gains are fragile and reversable."  Noting the lack of military success and Hagel's points, Boxer pointed out that nothing was being done diplomatically "and I listened carefully to Senator Hagel and Ambassador Crocker -- from the answer you gave him, I don't get the" feeling that the White House has given anything, it's still "the status quo.  She then turned to the issue of monies and the militias, "You are asking us for millions more to pay off the militias and, by the way, I have an article here that says Maliki recently told a London paper that he was concerned about half of them" and wouldn't put them into the forces because he doubts their loyalty.  She noted that $182 million a year was being paid, $18 million a month, to these "Awakening" Council members and "why don't you ask the Iraqis to pay the entire cost of that progam" because as Senator Lugar pointed out, "It could be an opportunity" for the Iraqi government "to turn it into something more long term."  This is a point, she declared, that she intends to bring up when it's time to vote on the next spending supplamental. Crocker tried to split hairs.   Boxer: I asked you why they couldn't pay for it. . . . I don't want to argue a point. . . I'm just asking you why we would object to asking them to pay for that entire program giving all that we are giving them in blood and everything else?   Crocker declared that he'd take that point back to Iraq when he returned.     Apparently prior to Senators Boxer and Lugar thinking of it, it had never occurred to anyone that maybe the Iraqi government should be paying for the Sahwa security forces to secure Iraq.  So possibly John Kerry's message will be conveyed and have some effect.     Now let's note the exchange with Rubio.   Senator Marco Rubio:  Let me touch on three subject.  The first, I know there's already been discussion about Iran's influence in Iraq.  In your opinion, does that influence extend to the judiciary? And I'm particularly concerned in light of obviously the ex-vice president's trial.  I guess he's now in Turkey.  But others, as well.  The growing evidence that perhaps -- at least allegations -- that the prime minister and others have manipulated the judiciary for purposes of pursuing their political enemies?  Do we have concern that Iran'sinfluence in Iraq has no reached or extended into the judiciary as well?     Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  Thank you, Senator.  I would -- I would say we have concerns across the board that any country -- Iran or others --  not play an overbearing or an overly influential role -- particularly a negative one -- in Iraq.   We work closely with the judiciary in Iraq and the legal community.  We do everything we can to ensure that there's support for rule of law programs.  And so far what we see is a largely functioning judiciary that, uhm, while not again I can't give it 100% endorsement as perfect, no country has a perfect judiciary, it is something that , again, continues to function and we'll continue to help it function better to the extent we can.   Senator Marco Rubio: My second concern is about the well being of the leader of Iraq's Democratic Nation Party Mithal Alusi.  Have we expressed our concerns about the way he's been treated?  I believe he's now in the northern region.  He's been given -- I guess he's been allowed to enter and he's living under their protection.  But I've read a series of accounts about how different types of protection have been withdrawn, his life's been made a miserable mess in Baghdad, apparently promises of protection have been withdrawn, his life's been made a miserable mess in Baghdad, apparently he's had to leave Baghdad.  Have we expressed our concern about his well being and our concern about how he's being treated?       [Nouri ran Alusi out of Baghdad after he lost the 2010 election to Parliament -- he won a seat in 2005.  Losing the election meant losing the security guards MPs get.  Nouri refused to allow Alusi's bodyguards to carry guns.  Then Nouri refused to renew Alusi and his wife's travel papers to enter and exit the Green Zone.  Their home is in the Green Zone.  They've lived there since 2004 due to repeatedly being targeted for assassiantion.  KRG President Massoud Barzani has welcomed Alusi and his family to the KRG.]   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  I'm sorry, Senator, I missed the name.   Senator Marco Rubio:  Mithal Alusi.   He is the leader of the Iraq Democratic Nation Party.     Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  Let me, excuse me, let me just say that first and foremost we have concerns about human rights across the board and we will raise those concerns at every opportunity -- as well as rule of law concerns -- to make sure everyone is treated fair and freely.  On this specific individual, I'm going to have to go back for an answer and get back to you as soon as I can.   Senator Marco Rubio:  Well just so I can point out, he -- in addition to being the leader of the Democratic Nation Party in Iraq -- he has also been a staunch ally of the United States in Iraq, courageous in many instances, a proponent of a more open society -- basically everything we hope the region will become in terms of the things he stood for.  And I encourage you to look into his case. It's actually well documented and well known and he has now had to leave to the northern region for protection because of the way the current government has treated him.  I think it sends a terrible message to our friends and to moderate reformers in the region when the US is silent to their well being.  And I think it's concerning that, quite frankly, there's not more awareness about his plight.   But let me just add to that, what is your view of our relationship with the regional government in the north, the Kurdish Regional Government?   There's been accounts about how well they've developed.  Certainly, it's a safer region than the rest of Iraq.  They've certainly progressed economically quicker than the rest of the nation.  How is our relationship with them?  How do you envision our relationship with them moving forward as far as their own aspirations, etc?   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  Thank you, Senator.  On the first case, I will look into the case personally and will get back to you and your staff.  Regarding the north, we're very supportive of the autonomous region in the north.  And you're absolutely right, it has progressed in many ways and in many ways sets an example for not just the country but the region and what it can be.  We'll continue to support with them -- support them and work with them as part of a unified federal Iraq. And we have the best of relations with them and we will continue to have those relations.   Senator Marco Rubio: I've heard concerns expressed that the closer we get to them, the more we risk alienating the prime minister [of Iraq], the less cooperative he may be with us.  Do you share that view?  Or? Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  Uh, we have excellent relations too, sir, with the prime minister and we're going to continue to keep those and so as long people understand this is part of a unified, federal Iraq, our work with the north should not be objectionable and it so far has not been objectionable.   Senator Marco Rubio:  Right. But what I've heard some commentators say is we've got to be careful how we deal with them and not to appear to close to them because it may alienate him [Nouri al-Maliki] or make him less cooperative with us.  And I think -- I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I think what you're saying is that that's something that would not necessarily stand in your way in working with them and reaching out to them and having a close relationship with them?  You don't view it as a zero-sum game.  You think you can have a good relationship with both?   Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Beecroft:  That's absolutely right.     If you remember that awful Chris Hill confirmation hearing of 2009 and Chris Hill's hideous answers, you'll understand why Rubio was attempting to be sure that Beecroft had a working knowledge of the KRG.  (Hill knew nothing.  Couldn't even grasp the issue of Kirkuk.)   The ex-vice president Rubio's referring to is Tareq al-Hashemi.  However, Rubio's wrong that al-Hashemi's an ex-vice president.  Rubio may know the Iraqi Constitution very well and, if so, assume that al-Hashemi is an ex-vice president.  The reason being, while he holds office, he's not supposed to be put on trial.  But he was -- and he was a victim of Nouri's political power-grab.     Nouri's mass arrests continued in Iraq today.  Ahlul Bayt News Agency reports 20 people have been arrested in Karbala Province.  That sound like a lot?  That's just one province.  Alsumaria notes 26 people were arrested for 'terrorism' in Babil Province.  Iraq's had no mass release from the prisons.  But the mass arrests continue.  In a country of approximately 30 million people, it would be very interesting to get an estimate on the number of people imprisoned.  That can't happen of course because Nouri al-Maliki -- aka Little Saddam -- loves his secret prisons. This month alone, you've seen hunger strikes in the prisons, people dying in prison (including one who may have died because he was denied medical treatment -- the one in Diyala who was diabetic) and prisoners rioting when they've taken death row inmates out to transfer them to a facility where they can be executed. Add in that people remain imprison in Iraq forever.  They disappear into the system -- not by accident.  Families only know that their loved ones were taken away and they search in vain trying to track them down, trying to figure out if they're even still alive.  This passes for justice in Nouri's Iraq. An amnesty law could free many.  But despite promising it for years now, and restating that promise in February 2011, Nouri and his State of Law continue to refuse to allow the bill to become law.  Alsumaria reports today that State of Law MP Kamal Saadi is now stating they will support the bill . . . provided it excludes thieves, counterfeiters and terrorists.  So that leaves the arsonists who've been setting fire to the orchards?  Is that it?  The bulk of imprisoned Iraqis are behind bars because they're accused of terrorism -- accused, not found guilty of.  People wait and wait in prison for a trial to roll around -- a trial that never arrives.  And it's interesting whom Nouri labels a 'terrorist' and whom he doesn't. The Shi'ites who make up the League of the Rigtheous can be -- and have been -- released.  (Barack released their leader, their leader's brothers and a few other members in US military custody -- I'm referring to the members who were in Iraqi custody.)  They killed Americans and Brits, yes, but they also killed Iraqis.  But that's 'okay' because they're Shia. This is why the recent executions -- that have brought the total number of executed in Iraq this year to 96 so far -- and the rush to execute more (at least 200 are pending) have enraged so many.  They see it as political, as an attempt to punish Sunnis. The violence continues as well. All Iraq News reports 1 person was shot down in Mosul.  Press TV adds, "Five members of the security forces, including a one-star general and a colonel, have been killed in separate attacks targeting the Iraqi police and army."  Alsumaria adds a Baghdad roadside bombing injured an Iraqi solider, a Ministry of Oil employee was shot in Baghdad, a Nineveh Province home invasion resulted in 1 death, 2 corpses were discovered in Baaj, 1 Turkman doctor was killed in Kirkuk (shot dead),  and 1 corpse was discovered in Wasit Province (of a male who was kidnapped three years ago). About the only thing that could be passed off as 'progress' this week just imploded.  Yesterday, 8 of 9 Independent High Electoral Commission commissioners elected.   Alsumaria reported this morning that the Federal Court says the number of commissioners must be increased because women must make up a third of the members.  (Not one of the eight was a woman -- an oversight Iraqiya called out -- the only political bloc to publicly call that out.)  Al Mada notes that Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc was insisting yesterday that if they just make the ninth member a Christian, they'll have all their bases covered. The judiciary begs to differ.  They're calling on members -- not a single seat, multiple seats.  That means that the Parliament either gets very focused on this or it is highly likely that an election cannot take place in March of 2013.  It's tarting to look a lot like fall 2009 in Iraq.         iraq veterans for peace rabble krystalline kraus ipolitics.ca  yves engler kitabat the toronto post city news erin criger war resisters support campaign  ahlul bayt news agency all iraq news bbc news al rafidayn  al mada kitabat