the realities

this is from nancy hanover's review of hugh wilford's 'the mighty wurlitzer:'


Deeply fearful of the attraction of young people to socialism, the CIA established its presence on campuses from the start. In 1947, the Agency organized the United States National Student Association (NSA), followed by an International Student Information Service to link the NSA with groups abroad. Wilford details the mechanisms used by the CIA to closely groom and vet all NSA officers. Quite a few of these individuals would go on to careers with the Agency.
The NSA hosted annual foreign relations seminars for Americans, while providing scholarships for those from the “developing world” and extensive travel abroad for staff members. By 1967 it had organizations on 400 US campuses.

The CIA and NSA also sponsored international youth festivals to “rescue Third World youth from the clutches of communist propagandists.” A leader in this operation was feminist icon Gloria Steinem. She accepted a paid position as director of the Independent Service for Information, “a CIA operation from beginning to end,” stated Wilford, and was made “witting.” Among her compatriots in this group was Zbigniew Brzezinski, at the time a Harvard graduate student, whom she described as “a star member of the Independent Service.”


poor gloria.

she's lied for so  long.

and she's got so little time left to live.

when she dies, even her minions won't be able to keep the gates shut.

instead, the red stockings will finally be seen as the truth tellers they actually were.

and gloria will be seen as a tool of the c.i.a.

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

Thursday, August 13, 2015.  Chaos and violence continue, Haider al-Abadi is in a tizzy over remarks by US General Ray Odierno, Haider's military bombed a maternity hospital killing dozens including infants, media criticism is not partisan whoring, Hillary Clinton's bloodlust appears to be never ending, and much more.




Haider al-Abadi can't stop shooting his stupid mouth off.

He's always declaring war on someone -- mainly logic and intelligence are the targets whenever Haider opens that stupid mouth of his.

Reuters notes Abadi's "media office said it was surprised at the comments attributed to Odierno, which it considered 'irresponsible and reflecting ignorance of the Iraqi situation'."


There was nothing irresponsible or ignorant about Odierno's remarks.

There was something grossly irresponsible about someone threatening to kill Americans over what Congress might do and the person making those threats publicly was a member of Haider's cabinet and yet the grossly obese Haider had no comment on that.  (See May 4th's "Barzani visits the US and did the Badr militia just threaten the US?" about the remarks of the Transport Minister Hadi al-Amiri.)


Public threats of violence made by a member of his Cabinet and Haider didn't open his yap for one second.


Here's the actual exchange that has Haider soiling his underwear and screaming his head off.



[Q:] General, given your experience in Iraq, and you talked earlier about the growing conflict between Shia and Sunni, and the increased influence now of Iran inside Iraq, even militarily, do you see any possibility that there can be any reconciliation in Iraq between the Sunni and Shia?



GEN. ODIERNO: I think it's becoming more difficult by the day. And I think there might be some alternative solutions that might have to come into this sometime in the future, where Iraq might not look like it did in the past. But we have to wait and see how that plays out.
I think we have to deal with ISIL first, and then we have to decide what it will look like afterwards.


Q: Are you talking about the possibility of partitioning?



 GEN. ODIERNO: Well, I mean, I think that is for the region and politicians to kind of figure out, diplomats to figure out how we want to work this, but that is something that could happen. It might be the only solution, but I'm not ready to say that yet.



He was asked his opinion and he answered.

And now Haider wants to whine like the little bitch that he is.

Haider doesn't want to stop bombing civilians in Falluja.

The fat ass liar pretended he did on September 13, 2014 when he opened his big mouth and announced that those bombings were wrong (they are wrong, they're War Crimes) and that he had ordered the Iraqi military to stop the bombings.

And how the press rushed to prop the puppet up.

But 24 hours later it was September 14, 2014 and the bombings continued.

Continued, never stopped.

Continue to this day.

And honestly, is the US government unable to find one thin Iraqi politician to put in power?

What is this obsession with one grossly obese figure after another being put in power?

Maybe the White House needs to start shipping treadmills to Iraq?

And if  Florida's Cabana Bay Beach Resort hotel can open a Jack LaLanne fitness center, maybe it's time to open one in the Green Zone as well?

If I were one of the millions of struggling Iraqis, I don't think I'd be looking at the likes of never-miss-a-meal Haider or Jalal Talabani or Nouri al-Maliki or . . . favorably.


Odierno did not bring up the topic, he was asked about it and he offered an opinion.

In that opinion, he did not call for Iraq to be partitioned and noted that if the day came for that it would be a decision for the region.

The US is not in the region.

Does Haider not get that?

I get that some outlets -- such as Iraq Times -- went with screaming headlines proclaiming that Odierno had just called for Iraq to be partitioned.  But even those outlets in their actual reports went beyond the hysterical headlines.

Of course, Haider al-Abadi is a fake ass and his latest public tantrum is a distraction -- one that Reuters plays along with -- which allows the press to avoid addressing what took place in Falluja today.

These bombings by the Iraqi military that began in January 2014 and target the civilians are War Crimes.  Kitabat reports that today 70 civilians were wounded or killed by the warplane bombings which targeted a maternity hospital in western Falluja -- at least 23 children were killed.  Dr. Fadel Ahmed states that premature infants in incubators were "charred beyond recognition."

B-b-b-ut I don't read Arabic!  I have to take your word for it.

Russia Today notes:

Iraq’s Air Force has bombed a maternity hospital in Fallujah, located west of Baghdad in Al Anbar province. Over 20 people died in the blast, including women, children and medical personnel, according to local media. Another 30 were injured. “Iraqi army planes dropped three barrel bombs on the city’s maternity hospital, killing 31 people, including 23 women and children, and injuring 39 others,” al-Araby quoted Dr. Fadil Ahmad from the hospital as saying. “Some of the bodies are so badly burnt it is difficult to identify them, especially the babies. The maternity hospital is far from the fighting and it’s an old building and known by everyone.”


Where is the outcry?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Where is the outrage?          

#IRAQ شمرية العراق ‏@moonnor27

#Iraqi army crimes today bombed Hospital by barrels in Falluja killed 25 child & woman #Iraq @hrw @KenRoth

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

1. #IRAQ شمرية العراق ‏@moonnor27 15h15 hours ago

   #Iraqi army crimes today bombed Hospital by barrels in Falluja killed 25 child & woman #Iraq @hrw @KenRoth

   
   

   

   
   

   72 retweets 17 favorites
   

When I hear American idiots and asses rush to prop up this politician they drool over or that one they want to finger them, I think their hypocrisy is revealed by their inability, after 20 months and counting, to speak out against the bombings of civilians in Falluja.

They can't be bothered.

They can jerk off in public to everything else.

They can waste our time on their erotic fantasies of Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton (or Barack Obama or Bully Boy Bush), they just can't move beyond faux outrage to real outrage over the killing of innocent civilians by the Iraqi military which is intentionally targeting the Sunni civilians.

So spare me all your pretense that you are an ethical or caring person because you're just another whore in the main room of a bordello looking to turn tricks for the night.


Case in point: Elderly Prostitute Bob Somerby.


Here's Bob showing his wares, a hint of nipple on display, as he attempts to entice you (he just repulses me):

---------------------------------------------

First, a minor puzzlement. Early on, in paragraph 7, the two reporters offered the highlighted statement:

SHANE AND SCHMIDT (8/9/15): Mrs. Clinton, who has said she now regrets her unorthodox decision to keep private control of her official messages, is not a target in the F.B.I.’s investigation, which is focused on assessing security breaches. Against the backdrop of other current government computer security lapses, notably the large-scale theft of files from the Office of Personnel Management, most specialists believe the occasional appearance of classified information in the Clinton account was probably of marginal consequence.

Say what? Most specialists believe the matter is probably of marginal consequence?


------------------------------------

This thrills Bob.

He's thrilled.  He's happy.

Let's be clear what has him thrilled and happy: The newspaper just made a claim it does not back up and uses unnamed and unidentified sources ("most specialists").

So in other words, unnamed sources are allowed to speculate and the paper presents it as fact.

And Bob's thrilled.

But, at the end of last month, when the newspaper did the same thing but what got repeated wasn't pro-Hillary, Bob had a hissy fit.

How do you reconcile the two?

You don't.

He's not a media critic.

He hates unnamed sources when they don't back his beloved but when they do back his beloved Bob's jerking off and moaning in public.

One reason nothing changes for the better in terms of American media is because of this whoring.

When Bob puts his Clinton crack pipe down and is actually semi-functional, there's nothing he does that hasn't already been done by someone else -- and done better.

Take Nora Ephron.

The late film maker left journalism -- left media criticism -- specifically because of this crap.

Daniel Schorr was a damn liar.

But the left wanted to build him up into a hero.

He had a Congressional report, as a CBS News employee, entitled The Pike Report.  The Congressional committee decided not to release it.

He took it to The Village Voice which published it.

No problem there and you could even hale him as a whistle-blower.

Except the story didn't end there.

CBS News wanted to know who leaked it.

Schorr could have remained silent and that would have been fine.

What was not fine was for him to lie that Lesley Stahl was the one who gave the report to The Village Voice, to use as 'proof' that she was dating Village Voice reporter Aaron Latham (he and Lesley have been married since 1977, at the time they were not married).

The person responsible was going to be fired.

Daniel Schorr knew that.

And he deliberately lied.

His not confessing it was him?

Fine.

Stay silent.

But when you lie to cover your own ass?

That's not a whistle-blower and his actions were outrageous.

Nora wrote about them in the essay "Daniel Schorr."

She was then the media critic for Esquire magazine -- which paid her to be provocative and initiate debate.

But Esquire refused to run that column and she had to take it to More magazine to get it published (that was a 70s journalism review magazine and not the Cosmo wanna be that's published today under that same title).

Nora named names and the press acted as though she didn't.

Not only did Esquire refuse to print it, but as Ava and I noted in April 2014, the 557 paged The Most of Nora Ephron (published after her death) refused to include the June 1976  essay.

This despite the fact that it was something Nora was very proud of.

It led her to leave media criticism -- the reaction to this essay -- and turn to screen writing and directing, so she saw it as important for that reason.  But she was also glad, in the face of all the how-could-yous, that she had the courage to write the piece in the first place.

And she should have been proud -- it's a strongly written piece, it's a truth telling piece.

It did more than Bob Somerby could accomplish in 20 years.

You may be aware that he's always whining that the press won't name each other's names.

But when one does name, he ignores it.

He is completely ignorant of Nora Ephron's career as a media critic or why it ended.

But he wants to drone on endlessly about his college roommate Al Gore and pretend like that makes him a media critic.

He's just a partisan whore.

And he's far from alone.

I thought, for example, we were seeing something important in the Bully Boy Bush years as there was a revival of interest in the work of the late I.F. Stone.

But, you'll notice, we on the left lost interest in the truth teller once Barack Obama was sworn in as president.

When a Republican's in the White House, Pacifica Radio and The Nation feel the need to 'educate' the country (indoctrinate?) about how an I.F. Stone stood up to government, said not to trust any politician (not just don't trust Republicans) and how his work mattered.

But when Barack -- whom they rush to cover and excuse -- is in the White House, they're not so eager to 'educate' their listeners and readers about the importance of speaking out.

In "Oh, Obama," Elaine noted Glenn Greenwald's latest:

As everyone knows, “closing Guantánamo” was a centerpiece of the 2008 Obama campaign. In the Senate and then in the presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly and eloquently railed against the core, defining evil of Guantánamo: indefinite detention.
On the Senate floor, Obama passionately intoned in 2006: “As a parent, I can also imagine the terror I would feel if one of my family members were rounded up in the middle of the night and sent to Guantánamo without even getting one chance to ask why they were being held and being able to prove their innocence.” During the 2008 campaign, he repeatedly denounced “the Bush Administration’s attempt to create a legal black hole at Guantánamo.”
In the seventh year of Obama’s presidency, Guantánamo notoriously remains open, leaving one of his central vows unfulfilled. That, in turn, means that Democratic partisans have to scrounge around for excuses to justify this failure, to cast blame on someone other than the president, lest his legacy be besmirched. They long ago settled on the claim that blame (as always) lies not with Obama but with Congressional Republicans, who imposed a series of legal restrictions that impeded the camp’s closing.


Bob Somerby and Kevin Drum planning on writing those truths?


Of course not.

Truth doesn't matter to partisan whores.

For a prostitute like Somerby or Drum, words are things you twist and use against your enemy.

Which is why, as Rebecca noted in "mother jones and other fakes,"  Tuesday's 'battle' was reduced to 'idiot Jeb!'


Jeb Bush attacked Hillary for the current crises in Iraq maintaining she had responsibility for them due to having been US Secretary of State from 2009 to 2014 -- to be clear, Jeb was not blaming her for her 2002 vote backing war on Iraq.

That is a stupid charge -- and we went over that in Tuesday's snapshot.

That's not all we went over because, honestly, the 'news' that a Bush says something stupid really isn't news at this late date.  It's expected, to be sure.  It's common place.  But it's not breaking news that's going to shock the world.

But Mother Jones based their only report on the exchange or 'battle' on how stupid Jeb was.

I'm not debating or questioning Jeb's stupidity.

But the news factor in the 'battle' was Hillary dispatching Jake Sullivan to speak for her and Sullivan declaring not that Hillary believed her 2002 vote was a mistake but that the problem with the Iraq War was that Bully Boy Bush did not send enough troops in.

This claim was made despite the fact that as Senator Hillary Clinton, she opposed Bully Boy Bush's 2007 'surge' (sending more US troops into Iraq).

Hillary's position has changed repeatedly and twists and turns and coils against itself.

There is no consistency, there is no logic and she's looking more and more like a politician who will say anything to be elected and never sticks to her word.

That was the big story of the 'battle.'

But partisan whores didn't want to tell their readers, listeners, et al that Vote-for-me-Hillary-because-I-realize-finally-that-my-2002-vote-was-a-mistake was now insisting that the real problem was not the war and the lies told about it but instead the real problem was now that Bully Boy Bush didn't send enough US troops in.

How many exactly did or does Hillary want to have died in Iraq?

What number of kills will satisfy her blood lust?

Those were questions to ask.

Especially after Leo Shane III (Military Times) reported last week, "About 3,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq, and seven have lost their lives in connection to the new military operations there."

How many more deaths does the Vampire Clinton need to feed on before she's satisfied her blood lust?

The media will never get better in this country because too many supposed media critics are nothing but partisan whores who only call out the media to advance their special gal or fella.

None of that whoring has ever helped Iraq and it never will.


Maybe sometime after January 2017, when Barack is finally and thankfully out of the White House, we can discuss how President ____ [whomever] is backing an Iraqi prime minister whose army is bombing civilians?

Maybe we can discuss how international treaties the US government has signed on to and how US law (including but not limited the Leahy Amendment) requires that the US government immediately stop supplying the government of Iraq with weapons and military aid as a result of these weapons being used to attack Iraqi civilians?

Maybe.

Or as Cat Power sang, "Maybe Not."

Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 282 violent deaths across Iraq today.







iraq
 leo shane iii

nora ephron
antiwar.com
margaret griffis

mother jones and other fakes

so tuesday finds hillary clinton's spokesperson (jake sullivan) arguing that hillary believes the iraq war 'mistake' was that bully boy bush didn't send enough u.s. troops into iraq.

and wednesday finds the whore outlets on the supposed left - outlets like mother jones - refusing to take her to task or even note this reality.

instead, they rush to attack the moron jeb bush.

hillary confesses to wanting a bigger war on iraq and they all look the other way.

and they wonder why no 1 trusts them or reads them or listens to them anymore?


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

Wednesday, August 12, 2015.  Chaos and violence continue, US Gen Ray Odierno talks about more US troops being sent into Iraq, Haider al-Abadi's reforms or 'reforms' continue to be greeted with giddy hype as opposed to actual analysis, and much more.


Gen Ray Odierno is the Army Chief of Staff.  He was also the top US commander in Iraq from September 2008 through September 2010.  He retires as the Army Chief of Staff at the end of the week.  He held a press conference today and Barbara Starr and Jim Sciutto (CNN) report:

"If we find in the next several months that we aren't making progress, we should absolutely consider embedding some soldiers (in Iraq)," Gen. Raymond Odierno, outgoing Army chief of staff, said in response to a CNN question about putting troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria at his final press conference. He called it an "option we should present to the President."

David Alexander and Bill Rigby (Reuters) add:

Odierno, the outgoing Army chief of staff, backed the current strategy against Islamic State, telling his last Pentagon news conference that while U.S. troops could defeat the militants, they could not solve the broader political and economic problems besetting Iraq and Syria.
"We could probably go in there with a certain amount of American force and ... defeat ISIL. The problem is we would be right back where we are today six months later," he told reporters, using an acronym for Islamic State.

"For me it's about changing the dynamics, the political dynamics, the economic dynamics, and it has to be done by those in the region," he said.


Lolita C. Baldor (AP) quotes Odierno stating, "The U.S. cannot solve this problem for the region."  Dan Lamothe covers the press conference for the Washington Post and AFP covers it here.


Odierno's remarks come as there is an increasing refusal to pretend that US President Barack Obama's plan or 'plan' for Iraq is working.

For those who may not remember, June 19, 2014, Barack spoke of Iraq.  It was the first time in months that he had noted the topic as anything other than a passing aside.

Iraq had descended into one crises after another and the biggest news for those paying only fleeting attention was that the Islamic State had taken control of the major city of Mosul.

Barack noted at the time that the only answer for Iraq would be a political one, that the country needed a government that was inclusive and that didn't target any segment of the population.

Somehow this goal of a political solution fell by the wayside and Barack began bombing and sending more US troops into Iraq.

How bombs dropped from war planes flying over Iraq were to bring about peace was never explained and never really questioned.

The State Dept dropped any pretense of diplomacy in Iraq and instead focused on gathering foreign countries to take part in a bombing Iraq.

For over a year now, these bombings have taken place and the Islamic State still controls Mosul, still terrorizes Iraq, still does what it was dong before the bombings started.

Other than destroying Iraq -- homes, businesses, leaving civilians wounded and dead -- there is nothing the bombings have accomplished.

We spent the bulk of the July 18th snapshot noting the failure that is Barack's plan or 'plan' with regards to combating the Islamic State in Iraq.  Saturday, Trevor Timm (Guardian) observed the failures:


This Saturday marks one full year since the US military began its still-undeclared war against Islamic State that the government officials openly acknowledge will last indefinitely. What do we have to show for it? So far, billions of dollars have been spent, thousands of bombs have been dropped, hundreds of civilians have been killed and Isis is no weaker than it was last August, when the airstrikes began.
But don’t take it from me – that’s the conclusion of the US intelligence community itself. As the Associated Press reported a few days ago, the consensus view of the US intelligence agencies is that Isis is just as powerful as it was a year ago, and they can replace fighters faster than they are getting killed.



It is in that context that Odierno made his remarks today.


If you're opposed to war -- or further war -- on Iraq (and I am), it's really not enough to point out the failure of the bombing campaign.

You need to be underscoring that the political solution Barack claimed was the only answer for Iraq's crises has not been worked, that there has been no serious effort by the US government to aid and assist on that.

You need to decry the use of the State Dept for a militarization campaign and Secretary of State John Kerry's absurd war posturing.

You need to be demanding that all the US government's efforts stop being focused on bombings and troops being sent into Iraq and instead that some actual diplomatic work be done.

I like General Ray Odierno.


He wasn't David Petraeus.

Petraues and his groupies have a long history with this site where they attempted first to curry favor, then to launch non-stop attacks.

This included Petraues himself -- a man whose devotion to his own ego brought him down.

Had he not been so concerned about shaping the way the world saw him, he never would have passed classified documents to his mistress who was also his court biographer.

Petraeus was a nightmare in Iraq for US troops due to his diva like ways.

The press looked the other way but we frequently didn't.

Which led to his attempts -- and the attempts of those serving under him -- to take control of the way he was portrayed at this site.

It's really not pretty to me to see a grown adult acting like a starlet desperate for copy to advance her career.

But that was Petraeus.

When Odierno took control, the diva theatrics ended.

And that was noticed not just by those paying attention (he immediately told the press it was just "Ray," not "Raymond") but also by those serving immediately under him.

The same people who regularly lodged objections to me about Petraeus now felt respected by Odierno and felt that the general in charge had a purpose that went beyond shaping his own image for the world.

From near daily e-mail efforts by Petraeus and company, we saw only one e-mail regarding the portrayal of Odierno here from anyone serving under him (Odierno has never contacted this site himself).

My dictated e-mail in response to that noted that (a) Odierno was not being raked over the coals the way Petraeus was because (b) I was not hearing complaints of diva like behavior, (c) he had raised morale, (c) he seemed more responsive to the press (whereas Petraeus was 'expansive' to the press -- about himself) and that (d) Odierno's role and my role (critic of the illegal war) would always be at odds but if he continued to focus on the work and not his own ego he would not be receiving the treatment Petraeus did here.

And Odierno then and to now has done that.

I completely disagree with him on US troops in Iraq.

I understand why he's saying it.

I understand he's sincere on it.

He may eve be right about it.

I don't know.

I'm not stupid enough to pretend I know everything.

Nor am I stupid enough to accuse everyone I disagree with of being either 'for us or against us' or 'wrong on this like they were wrong on that.'

Odierno may very well be right that US troops need to be on the ground in Iraq in large numbers in the near future to turn the tide in Iraq.

I don't agree.

And I think before that's even considered, there need to be demands made on the US government assisting with diplomacy first.

(And, please note, Odierno's call for US troops comes with the acknowledgment that US troops alone will not work.)

It's really sad that we're back to considering sending even more US troops into Iraq when the diplomatic effort has never been launched by the White House despite Barack's own words on June 19, 2014.



The violence continues in Iraq as RT notes, "A powerful truck bomb blast has reportedly killed dozens of people and injured about 200 in Baghdad, reports say. The blast hit the Shia-dominated Sadr-City district of the Iraqi capital. "  The truck is said to be a "refrigerated truck packed with explosives."  AP counts 58 dead with over sixty more people left injured.

In addition to that violence, Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 74 violent deaths in Iraq today.


Meanwhile, did everyone just get played?

Iraqi protests resumed recently over the lack of public services and objecting to the current corruption.

Near immediately there was a 'response' from that great saint Haider al-Abadi.

Before that happened, oh, the press, the great western press, couldn't stop celebrating how the protesters were being treated.

Unlike past protests when Nouri al-Maliki was prime minister, this go round the security forces didn't attack the protesters.

It was a sea of change.

And Haider was responding.

Strangely, the response wasn't about what he claimed he was doing.

He asked for no mandate to go after corruption.

He initiated no task force.

But he did manage to hijack the political process, didn't he?

He did manage to use these protests to destroy any real opposition to him or anyone else in the post of prime minister.

He initiated a series of changes that did away with quotas which means no real minority voice in Iraq and certainly no power-sharing agreement.

He did away with the checks and balances on his own position.

He did so with no objection.


Yesterday, UNAMI joined the praise circle as they rushed to announce  their pleasure with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's proposed reforms or 'reforms.'  They did so via  a statement from Deputy Special Envoy Gyorgy Busztin.  Since Jan Kubis is the Special Representative to Iraq for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, some on Arabic social media are wondering why Busztin made the announcement and where Kubis is?  Today is International Youth Day and, in Iraq, Busztin also delivered a speech for that occasion.

Along with wondering where Kubis is, Arabic social media is abuzz with questions over Haider's reforms or 'reforms' -- and with good reason.





No one knows what is taking place but everyone's treating the proposals as a good thing.

Brett McGurk ‏@brett_mcgurk 23h23 hours ago

We welcome PM Abadi's sweeping initiative to improve government services & combat corruption, now endorsed unanimously by Iraq's parliament.

57 retweets 37 favorites

Are they a good thing?


The US Congress has been repeatedly told this year that Haider was giving more power to local areas and how important this was and how it demonstrated that he was not another Nouri al-Maliki but someone who wanted to share power.  Despite this repeated claim, Al Mada notes the reforms or 'reforms' will give Haider the power to fire the local heads of government.

This is a power the prime minister has not had previously.

In addition, Alsumaria reports that he's now declaring he next plans to alter Iraq's Constitution.


While we cautioned here and noted that the political system was going to immediately change to one in which the prime minister was basically a president with sole control of everything, Brookings gushed and issued p.r. copy.


More and more, it's looking like the protests and the protesters were used by Haider and others to push through changes in the political system that do create a more responsive and accountable government.


Mustafa Habib (Niqash) reports:

At the end of July thousands of locals took to the streets of Baghdad to protest against the lack of state services – and especially the breakdown in electricity supply, which was making their lives very difficult in summer temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius. Most of the organisers of these demonstrations were civil society activists and other prominent local personalities and their aims were clearly stated. They wanted the Ministry of Electricity reformed and an end to corruption there.

The demonstrations took place peacefully and there were no clashes with police or military on site; these forces actually distributed water bottles to the demonstrators.

Two days after the first demonstrations, Qais al-Khazali, head of the League of the Righteous militia group, appeared on television proclaiming his support of the demonstrators. The League of the Righteous is one of a dozen or so unofficial armed groups, made up mostly of local Shiite Muslims, that have played an essential role in fighting against the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq. However the League of the Righteous is also known as one of the more extreme of these groups. And most recently the militia has also become known for its support of, and patronage from, former Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

On television, al-Khazali announced the creation of civilian units associated with the Shiite Muslim militias. “The demonstrators should set firm goals,” al-Khazali said, “because the problems in Iraq are not only about the Ministry of Electricity. The problems are part of the whole political system.”

Once again al-Khazali then recommended that Iraq's political system be changed from a parliamentary one to a presidential one. This would in effect give al-Maliki, one of the League of the Righteous' sponsors, more power again; al-Maliki tried to hang onto power after the last elections but was denied by other Iraqi politicians and he has been seen as trying to undermine his successor, current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, ever since.

Some of the civil society activists who had first organised the popular protests in Baghdad were upset at al-Khazali's statements. They felt he was trying to hijack the protests to push his own agenda and as a result, some said they would boycott the next lot of protests.

Three days before the second demonstration, which was to take place on August 7, supporters of the League of Righteous in Baghdad began to prepare to take part in the protests.

“A formal letter from the League’s head office was sent to all of our offices,” Karim al-Lami, one of the militia's members based in the Sadr City neighbourhood in Baghdad, told NIQASH by phone. “The letters emphasised the importance of all members and employees participating. Additionally, al-Lami explains, the letter said that militia members shouldn't carry banners or clothing or badges that indicated they were militia members. “They should only use anti-government and anti-Parliament slogans and condemn the poor services,” al-Lami says.

A Shi'ite dominant government led by a Shi'ite prime minister spent the last days eliminating the roles of minorities in the government -- roles the Constitution guaranteed.

The president of Iraq, a Kurd, objected and said what was taking place was unconstitutional.

We noted that here.

Surprisingly, western news outlets ignored such criticism.


Breaking the silence today, Noah Feldman (Bloomberg) offers:

The problem is that there’s no plan to substitute some new guarantor of national cohesion or at least something less than civil war. With Sunni Arabs largely out of the political picture in Baghdad, and the Kurds satisfied for the moment with their de facto autonomy and gradual expansion, there’s no one to tell the Shiite majority that it better find some way to bring the country together again.
One possibility is that, at this point, the Shiites just don’t care. The area controlled by Islamic State doesn’t have significant oil reserves. For the moment, the militant group isn’t immediately threatening Baghdad. From the Shiite perspective, the status quo perhaps doesn’t look so bad. A Shiite statelet in the rump of the former Iraq would include Baghdad as well as the Persian Gulf refineries and ports.
But if Abadi is thinking that he doesn’t need to give Iraqi Sunnis any incentive to take part in a unified Iraq, he’s making a big mistake. Islamic State won’t be satisfied in the long run with a desert enclave. It’ll eventually make a play for Baghdad, with its significant Sunni population. If Baghdad’s Sunnis see no future in a Shiite Iraq, they’ll side with Islamic State when that day comes. That could turn Baghdad into Beirut circa 1975.



What happens now that Haider has what Nouri always wanted?

The representation is no longer what it was.  Minority rights are no longer guaranteed.

Haider is firing people that he really doesn't have the legal right to fire.

Today, it was a cabinet secretary.

What about when he fires a Cabinet member?

Because the Constitution specifically forbids this but it's the exact direction that a giddy western press is urging him to move towards.









iraq
cnn
barbara starr

i agree 100%

Our mother was not a spy. The government held her life hostage to coerce our father to talk, and when that failed, it extracted false statements to secure her wrongful execution. The apparent rationale for such action — that national security demanded it during a time of international crisis — has disturbing implications in post-9/11 America. It is never too late to correct an egregious injustice. We call on the government to formally exonerate Ethel Rosenberg.


the sons of ethel and julius rosenberg, michael meeropol and robert meeropol, wrote the above.

it is past time for ethel rosenberg's name to be cleared.

the government used her as a pawn and made a false case against her.

for the record, her name needs to be cleared.


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

Tuesday, August 11, 2015.  Chaos and violence continue, Haider al-Abadi's reforms pass, no one's quite sure what that means, Jeb Bush blames Hillary for Iraq's crises, Hillary 'responds' by letting a man speak for her, Hillary leaves behind her my-vote-for-the-Iraq-War-was-a-mistake to now argue that there Bully Boy Bush sent too few troops into Iraq, and much more.


Hillary Clinton is a feminist.

Doesn't mean she's a good one.

What she's doing right now on Iraq isn't feminism.

Jeb Bush, former Florida governor and contender for the GOP's 2016 presidential nomination, has slammed her for the state of Iraq today.  Ben Kamisar (The Hill) reports:

Sullivan accused the administration of George W. Bush, Jeb’s brother, of sending in too few troops, pushing out Sunnis that later became radicalized and adding to Iranian influence within the Iraqi government. 

He added that Bush, not President Obama, set the withdrawal date for U.S. forces in Iraq.

So the little princess Hillary not only can't speak for herself  but, out of all her advisors, goes with a man, Jake Sullivan, to defend her?

That's not feminism.

Jeb Bush made a charge.  If Hillary's suddenly 'too delicate' to deal with it, well then hand the nation the vapors and let's all clutch the pearls together.

Let's deal with Jake Sullivan, noted liar.

Bully Boy Bush did not set the withdrawal date.

This is a lie repeated by the stupid both in real time and ever since.

The US invasion was not authorized by any legal body.  The United Nations did authorize the occupation that followed.

The United Nations did it on a yearly mandate.

The yearly mandate was getting Nouri al-Maliki in trouble.  At the end of 2006, he had extended it without input from the Iraqi Parliament and they were outraged.  He insisted that, the next year, he would get their approval first.  But 2007 was drawing down and he again didn't get their approval further outraging the Parliament.

This is why, when the UN was refusing to continue providing cover for the occupation (the British government was in the same boat as the US government and had to enter into agreements directly with the Iraqi government to continue the occupation), Bully Boy Bush went with a three year agreement and not a one year agreement.  It would go through once and could cover three years.  This would help Nouri al-Maliki avoid having to ask every year for permission from the Parliament (or having to face outrage if he again ignored them).

The three year agreement, the Status Of Forces Agreement, did not mean that at the end of three years no more agreements could be made.

That's the talk of the stupid and the lying whores.

Barack Obama never believed that nonsense which is why he attempted to extend the US military presence in Iraq beyond the end of 2011.

Nouri wasn't opposed to that.

Nouri, and a few other Iraqi politicians, opposed the grief they would get if it was only for three thousand or so troops.

Nouri wanted the US military presence.  He feared the Iraqi military (he sacked most of the commanders out of constant fear that they would stage a coup against him).

The US military is how he remained in power.

Without them, he would have been toppled.  That's true as early as the summer of 2006 when the Green Zone was almost breached.

Nouri nixed a small number of troops.  He wanted at least 8,000 US troops by most Congressional testimony and would have preferred 15,000.

If you don't know that at this late date and you're yammering on, you're a stupid, little liar.

If you don't know that Barack thought the December drawdown (the military never called it a "withdrawal" for obvious reasons) was not the 'end of story,' you didn't pay attention very well, did you?

You missed then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta telling the Senate that negotiations continued and that they hoped to have something in the new year (January 2012).

If you missed that, you missed the November 15, 2011 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, and you can play catch up by reviewing the real time coverage of that hearing that this community offered:   "Iraq snapshot,"  "Iraq snapshot,"  "Iraq snapshot."  Ava reported on it with "Scott Brown questions Panetta and Dempsey (Ava),"  Wally reported on it with "The costs (Wally)" and Kat reported on it with "Who wanted what?").


Again, I don't have time for stupid liars like Jake Sullivan.

I can't believe we're having to take the blowhard seriously enough to fact check his lying ass.

As for two more charges Sullivan made above.

Did Bully Boy Bush push Iraq into the arms of Iran?

Possibly.

It's a complicated conversation but, overall, we can say "yes."

We can also note that Bully Boy Bush did not make deals with Iranian-backed terrorists groups in Iraq.  It wasn't Bully Boy Bush in 2009 who released terrorist leaders in US captivity for the deaths of 5 American troops.

That was Barack.

And it wasn't Bully Boy Bush who allowed Iran to attack Camp Ashraf residents repeatedly.

That too was Barack.

And it wasn't Bully Boy Bush who had Iranian-backed militias on bases with US forces.

That's Barack.

But let's zoom in on the "too few troops."

Hillary's apparently decided she wins in 2016 by presenting as a strange little girl.

That's what Jake Sullivan's just done.

Hillary lost the 2008 nomination in part because of her 2002 vote for war on Iraq.

She's made mealy mouthed statements about the vote being a mistake and offered it with a read-my-latest-book-for-more attitude.

But now voting for the war is not even a "mistake," Hillary?

Now the problem is that not enough US troops were sent into Iraq?

Which is it, Hillary Clinton, you were wrong to vote for the Iraq War or the problem was really that not enough US forces were sent in?

Again, she's playing the strange little girl card and let's hope it bites her in her fat ass.

Her mealy mouthed words about a "mistake" were never convincing especially after her War Hawk cries as Secretary of State.


Hillary doesn't talk about the over 4994 US troops who have lost their lives in the ongoing Iraq War.  That's not part of the "mistake" she wants to take the blame for.

But she's more than happy to now have her aides/surrogates/pit bulls insist the problem with the Iraq War is that not enough US troops were sent in.

Wait.

Not enough US troops were sent in?

Then why the hell did she, as US Senator, oppose Bully Boy Bush's "surge"?

If she felt there weren't enough troops she should have backed him.

Oh, wait.

She did.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates revealed that in his book Duty:


Hillary told the president that her opposition to the [2007] surge in Iraq had been political because she was facing him in the Iowa primary. . . . The president conceded vaguely that opposition to the Iraq surge had been political. To hear the two of them making these admissions, and in front of me, was as surprising as it was dismaying.

Okay, so since around 2007, she's been offering weak ass statements about her 2002 vote approving the Iraq War was a "mistake" and indicating she regretted it but now her campaign is arguing that the mistake was sending too little US troops into Iraq.

And yet when Bully Boy Bush tried to 'surge' in 2007, she publicly opposed increasing the number of US troops in Iraq.

Is there any position that she won't take, any lie that she won't tell?

We need to stress one more time that good feminism is not hiding behind a man.

If Jeb Bush makes a charge against Hillary, she needs to be able to respond.

Herself.

Throughout Tuesday morning, it was said Hillary would be responding in the afternoon.

Apparently not.

Apparently, she's too much of a delicate flower to respond.

Who knew that the woman who snarled "What difference, at this point, does it make?" was such a fragile little orchid?


Sullivan also insists the criticism of Hillary on Iraq is unfair because she wasn't responsible.   Wally's "THIS JUST IN! IT'S NEVER HER FAULT!" and Cedric's "Cranky's ready to share the blame" earlier today addressed that defense.


But you know what?

There Sullivan is correct.

When the Iraqi Parliament and the President of Iraq (Jalal Talabani) and Nouri agreed to begin negotiations for US troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2011, we noted in the August 3, 2011 snapshot:

 James Jeffrey, the US Ambassador to Iraq, is the public face of negotiations (as Ryan Crocker was when he was the US Ambassador to Iraq).  He is assisted by State Dept employees the administration has tasked for this issue.

This is not who Hillary Clinton has selected, it's not her issue.  Joe Biden and Samantha Power are tasked with Iraq on the orders of Barack Obama.  Hillary is not involved.  You see her with her Iraqi counterpart from time to time, she does receive most visiting Iraqis but she and Nouri are not close and anyone who can't grasp that can't remember Hillary's public remarks about Nouri when she was in the Senate.  That's the practical reason Hillary's not over Iraq.  There are other reasons as well.  Samantha Power is elevated to her position because, although Joe Biden has a great relationship with many Iraqi politicians (including the Kurds), he also made comments, when he was a senator, about Nouri that Nouri has not forgotten.  (Hillary and Joe both rightly called Nouri a despot at one point or another and it's not forgotten on Nouri's side.  And they were not one time remarks.  Nor were they unique remarks in the Senate.  Back then, Baraba Boxer was among the many calling out Nouri as a Little Saddam.)

If you check the archives, you will find us repeatedly noting while Hillary was Secretary of State that she was not over Iraq.

We also repeatedly noted that she tended to fudge that fact and needed to get honest or would be left holding the bag on Iraq.

Holding the bag on Iraq?

2010, Barack Obama determined the fate of Iraq by nullifying the votes and will of the Iraqi people to insist that Nouri get a second term after he lost the election.

That set Iraq on its current course.

The idiot Jake Sullivan wants to blame Bully Boy Bush for the rise of the Islamic State.

Nouri al-Maliki is to blame for that as he used his second to persecute Sunnis and the Islamic State (in Iraq) is a response to that persecution.  (In Syria, it's also seen as a response to the persecution of the Sunnis by the Syrian government.)

Hillary's involvement in that was minor.

If she voiced an opinion, it most likely wasn't an honest one.

She'd publicly called Nouri a "thug" in 2008 -- we can spoonfeed you the hearing, we covered it in real time while Spencer Ackerman -- whoring for Barack -- 'missed' Hillary's testimony in his coverage of the same hearing.

She knew what Nouri was and it's doubtful she argued for him to have a second term.

Samantha Power made the case that Nouri would do as they wanted (the White House) with regards to a new SOFA and Chris Hill argued that Iraq needed a strong man and not democracy (Hill was the idiot Barack appointed as US Ambassador to Iraq).

Vice President Joe Biden was the point-person on Iraq and he backed Hill and Power.

Hillary's only significant involvement in this issue comes when, after the election of 2010 and in the midst of the political stalemate, she joins with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to vouch for the then-top US commander in Iraq, Gen Ray Odierno.

Hill had thrown a tantrum and had Odierno shut out of the process.

Hillary joined with Gates to argue to Barack that Odierno was not the problem and that he needed to be listened to.  Once this was put in motion, Barack would ask Hill for his resignation.  Hill did not choose to step down as US Ambassador to Iraq, he was asked to step down.

There are State Dept issues that Hillary was over in terms of Iraq.

These were budgetary issues, largely.

But in terms of policy, Hillary had no say and was not part of it.

It's a shame she refused to be honest in real time and preferred to be a glory hog.

It would be karmic to allow her to now take the blame for Iraq but, in all honesty, she was not leading policy or even one of the chief policy advisors on Iraq.

Iraq was noted at today's US State Dept press briefing moderated by Mark Toner.


QUESTION: Iraq’s parliament approved Prime Minister Abadi’s wide-ranging reforms. How much did the United States know about these reforms, and are there any sort of redlines, because there seems to be some concern that if the reforms go too far they could alienate the Sunnis and the political process? If you could comment on that.

MR TONER: Well, first in terms of the reforms, we certainly applaud the unity that was shown by Iraqi leaders from across the political spectrum in moving forward on Prime Minister’s Abadi’s proposals, which, as you know, were aimed at streamlining the government and addressing corruption. And we’d note that these measures were unanimously approved by the Council of Ministries – Ministers, rather, earlier today.
So we certainly commend Prime Minister Abadi’s initiative to promote improved transparency and government services, and this is certainly something he pledged when he came into power to govern more inclusively. So we certainly believe that he’s doing so through these measures that were adopted, and expect he’ll continue to do so.

QUESTION: There were specific people in the list, including former Prime Minister Maliki, who was removed. Do you share Mr. Abadi’s concern or Mr. Abadi’s position that those people are corrupt people that had to be removed?

MR TONER: Well, first of all, I think the efforts were designed, as I said, to streamline the government. Those are obviously – this is an internal issue for the Iraqi Government. What we’re looking at, the bigger picture, is – as I said, is his efforts to govern more inclusively, and we think that these measures, as adopted, will do that. But --

QUESTION: So you don’t have any issue with those specific people who have been fired, basically, or removed from power?

MR TONER: Again, I think I spoke to what we’re looking for here – more inclusive governance, a more streamlined process, better transparency. And certainly, as you mentioned, one of the goals is to fight corruption, but I’m not going to speak to individuals. I’m just going to say that as a matter of a broader concern to us – please, go ahead, Elise.

QUESTION: Can I move on to Syria?


MR TONER: Are we done with Iraq? Great.



"Are we done with Iraq?  Great."  That's pretty much the administration's approach to Iraq.


In Iraq today, the Parliament has approved Haider al-Abadi's 7-point plan to address waste and corruption.  AFP reports all 297 MPs in attendance voted in favor of the proposal (there are 328 MPs in the Parliament).

The reforms or 'reforms' are thought to be in response to the recent protests demanding accountability.  Whether they are a true response or just fakery attempting to stop the protests remains to be seen.  BBC notes,  "Many Iraqis have cautiously welcomed the passing of the reform package, seen as a victory for Mr Abadi. But he still faces pressure to ensure the measures are properly implemented."


While many western outlets note the 7-point plan, only a few note the Speaker of Parliament's plan which includes insisting that certain ministers (those over electricity and water) be removed.  All Iraq News reports that the Speaker's plan passed today as well before Parliament adjourned (they are scheduled to next meet on Thursday).  Alsumaria notes that vote was unanimous as well.  The Minister of Electricity is scheduled to face questions from Parliament on August 25th.

National Iraqi News Agency notes that Vice President Ayad Allawi is calling for more:

He said in a press conference today that he had submitted a memorandum to the President and Prime Minister to implement a series of reforms, including the formation of an international body to investigate the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent since 2003.

He added that he called for the formation of this body to check in the financial corruption and to bring the corruptors to justice and uncover the details through the media.

Allawi called for reducing the personal protection of the officials and send the redundant of protections team to fight the terrorists in the battlefield.


Bas News reports that Iraq's President Fuad Masum is said to have told his vice presidents that "the reforms violate the Iraqi constitution, and al-Abadi should have consulted the president."

Saif Hameed and Ahmed Rasheed (Reuters) explain:

Under the sweeping reforms, the three positions of vice president and three deputy prime ministers will be scrapped, removing offices that had become vehicles for patronage for some of the most powerful people in the country.

Several ministries will be combined to eliminate cabinet posts: the planning and finance ministries will be merged, water will be combined with agriculture and the environment will be combined with health.

Mr Abadi will be given the power to fire provincial governors and regional officials, who often wield more power in their territories than the central authorities.

Despite gushing from Brookings and others, no one really knows what -- if anything -- al-Abadi's plan will mean.

In actual practice, Haider could have just re-invented the political system in Iraq and removed checks and balances built into the system.  

Denise Hassanzada Ajiri (Christian Science Monitor) offers that the changes are a rejection of "the US-backed model" implemented years ago.

 

Again, at this point, no one really knows what this plan actually means. 


Erika Solomon (Financial Times of London) offers:

 

Some analysts say Mr Abadi’s move may be aimed less at reform than taking advantage of Mr Sistani’s backing to bolster himself against political opponents such as former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. The latter has publicly supported the reform plan but was widely criticised during his rule for entrenching sectarian governance and corruption.

Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 156 violent deaths across Iraq today.

Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued an important press release last Friday

***MEDIA RELEASE***

For Immediate Release                                                          

Friday, August 07, 2015

Contact: press@baldwin.senate.gov

  (202) 224-6225

 

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Statement in response to VA Inspector General Report on the Death of Marine Corps Veteran Jason Simcakoski at the Tomah VA Medical Center

 

“Those responsible for this tragic failure should never again serve our veterans and their families.” 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Office released a healthcare inspections report regarding the death of Marine Corps veteran Jason Simcakoski at the Tomah VA Medical Center on August 30, 2014:

 

“This report confirms that the Tomah VA physicians entrusted with Jason's care failed to keep their promise to a Wisconsin Marine and his family.  I have all the evidence I need to conclude that the VA prescribed Jason a deadly mix of drugs that led to his death and that those responsible for this tragic failure should never again serve our veterans and their families.  The sacred trust we have with those who faithfully serve our country has been broken and it needs to be fixed.

“I have introduced bipartisan legislation in Jason’s name that has earned the support of his family and a number of veteran service organizations to provide the VA with the tools it needs to help prevent this type of tragedy from occurring to other veterans and their families. This report highlights the need for the reforms we have proposed to give veterans and their families a stronger voice in their care and put in place stronger oversight and accountability for the quality of care we are providing our veterans. Change is possible and I will continue my fight for it.”

 

Learn more about Senator Baldwin’s bipartisan legislation, the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act here.

 

View an online version of this release here.

###

iraq
antiwar.com
margaret griffis

janeane garofalo makes it so hard to miss her

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Justice for Hillary Goose Girl Style"

i don't listen to marc maron's wtf all the time - i ignored the barack interview, for instance - but i do like marc maron and catch the podcast pretty regularly - especially for me.

maron used to do a thing on air america.

on the morning show, he'd do his rants which were usually funny.

and he's carried the best of that and the best of his comedy over to his wtf podcast.

so when a friend e-mailed me a 2010 podcast with janeane garofalo, i was so excited.

maron's not a tool for the democratic party and will keep his ethics when the party loses their own.

and he set janeane up so good in the opening (after reading and responding to an e-mail about success) and i was so eager and then janeane spoke.

oh, do shut up, janeane.

no she's not regretting anything and oh she is so smart and she learned so much about the tea party from the southern poverty law center.


it was ken silverstein who exposed spl in harper's magazine long ago.

but keep pretending you're educated, janeane.

equally true, those of us against iran-contra are very aware of spl's connection to the man who sold the left out (little chip) and will never support spl for their decision to associate with that man.

but janeane, the idiot shrew, doesn't care.

and she's whining that all she did was give facts.

she went on olbermann and bill maher, she insisted, and didn't argue, she was asked questions and she gave facts about the tea party being racist.

that would be your opinion, janeane, you stupid fool.

she whined about losing a weight watcher's voice over because of tarring everyone as racist.

she's a stupid bitch who needs to learn to read.

she whines that women suffer more and lists all these men who did not suffer for speaking out.

janeane wasn't speaking out.

she was attacking people, she was stereotyping people.

and now she wants to whine.

i was so eager to hear the interview.

i'd missed her.

but then she opened her uninformed mouth and reminded me why she's been 'away.'



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

Monday, August 10, 2015.  Chaos and violence continue, Iraq's protests frighten the political elite, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proposes reforms, Brookings gushes while others raise cautions, and much more.




Starting with violence as Diyala Province is rocked by two bombings.  Deutsche Welle notes, "According to Reuters news agency, IS also claimed responsibility for Monday's twin attacks - one near the provincial capital of Baquba, where a suicide car bombing killed over 30 people and wounded more than 70. The second attack occurred in the village of Kanaan, where officials said another suicide attack killed 7 people and wounded 15."  Reuters counts 58 dead.
AFP adds, "The blasts targeted mostly Shiite areas and came less than a month after a massive suicide attack left at least 120 dead in Khan Bani Saad, also in the eastern province."

Throughout Iraq today, Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 221 dead.

Griffis is noted at the start of Dahr Jamal's latest garbage.

Here's the link to Dahr's crap.

Ray McGovern?

That's what we're doing at this late date?

Pretending that the CIA has a place in a left movement?

Or that Barack's love slave has anything to say worth hearing?

It's 2015.

If you're going to write about Iraq and you can't go beyond Bully Boy Bush and 2008, find another topic, you're just humiliating yourself.

And again, if you're using CIA filth, you really need to sit your tired ass down.  There is no place on the left for an embrace of the CIA.  None.

While we're on stupid . . .

Bill Van Auken.

Barack Obama has wrongly presented the options as back his deal or have war with Iran.

If Bully Boy Bush had done that, we'd call it the fear mongering that it is.  But Bill's all giddy with Barack just told us what's really going on and . . .

Just go to the bathroom and remove your soiled underwear.

Honestly, you're embarrassing yourself.

That goes for Michael Whitney who argues that Donald Trump is being attacked by the press because he told some truth in Thursday's GOP debate when he said he donated money because it meant, two or so years later, he could ask politicians for favor.

No, Donald Trump is being attacked because he's a sexist pig and this is nothing new -- either for Donald Trump or for the press.

Like Bill Van Auken, Michael Whitney's allowing his own desires to color reality.

And while they jerk off to their fantasies, just like Dahr Jamail, they miss everything that's going on in Iraq today.


Such as the protests these last weeks.


In Defense of Marxism quotes Iraqi Lamia Fadhil on participating in Iraq's recent wave of protests, "For more than 10 years the government didn’t provide anything for us. No electricity, no services and no jobs. That’s it. We've had enough."


And the protests, initially hailed as a "warning sign" by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, have had an impact.  Sunday,  Omar al-Jawoshy and Tim Arango (New York Times) reported:


Facing widespread protests against government corruption and poor services as well as calls for change by Shiite clerics, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday proposed a series of drastic reforms that could be a turning point in the dysfunctional politics of Iraq that have persisted since the U.S. invasion in 2003.
Al-Abadi’s proposals, which came as the war against Islamic State group extremists has stalled in western Anbar province, were wide ranging. They included the elimination of three vice-presidency positions, largely ceremonial jobs that come with expensive perks, and the end of sectarian and party quotas that have dominated the appointments of top officials.



Al Bawaba reports:

Iraq’s Council of Ministers on Sunday approved a package of reforms proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ostensibly aimed at improving public services and rooting out widespread corruption.
It does away with the positions of vice-president and deputy prime minister, among other things.

The move comes following two weeks of countrywide demonstrations to protest government corruption and demand improved public services.



Per In Defense of Marxism, this is the seven-point plan Haider is proposing:

“1) Complete & instant waning of security personnel for ALL high officials, & redirecting all security personnel to the Ministry of Defense to be trained & defend the country on the forefront.
2) Rescinding all exclusivity (in terms of treatment, priority, etc.) allocated to high government positions, including retired personnel.
3) A ban on the application of a quota system on high positions in Ministries, Independent Commissions, advisors, etc. The PM will form a committee to oversee the sacking of unqualified personnel, and their replacement on the basis of merit.
4) Condensing ministries and institutions to raise qualification & efficiency standards, as well as cost reduction.
5) Dissolving the positions of Deputies to the President, and to the Prime Minister immediately.
6) Revisiting old and current corruption cases under the supervision of a High Commission to fight corruption, comprised of experts, as well as appointing judges to oversee these cases known for their untainted integrity.
7) A call to the Cabinet of Ministers, then Parliament, to approve these measures, in order for the Prime Minister to respond to the people’s demands made through the Marja’iya or High Religious Establishment’s [in Najaf].”

Though the Cabinet approves, they do not have the last word and, today in Iraq, Haider's proposals were debated.   All Iraq News notes Speaker of Parliament Saleem al-Jobouri states that the "reforms are good but not enough."  AFP reports the Speaker is calling on Haider to fire various ministers and an unnamed source tells AFP the list includes, among others, the Minister of Electricity.  In an update, AFP also notes, "Juburi also called for MPs who are absent for more than a third of the time to be removed."


Meanwhile, Iraq Times reports that former prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki is smiling publicly at the reforms but working behind the scenes to dismiss Haider al-Abadi from the Dawa political party.  There is also talk that Nouri may be attempting to leave Iraq and there may be an order in place to prevent him from flying out of Baghdad International Airport.

The possible escape is floated as Iraqis demand accountability for the eight years Nouri was prime minister, for the eight years of no improvements in public services while the billions disappeared, the lack of electricity while Nouri's previously unemployed son purchased properties throughout Europe including in London, the lack of potable water while Nouri's previously unemployed son stocked up on expensive cars.  Protesters have noted that Nouri presided over 130 billion dollars during his tenure from 2006 through 2014 and they want to know where the money went?

There are rumors that Haider al-Abadi has a list of figures who will be charged with corruption and that Nouri al-Maliki is on that list.


Were Nouri to attempt to leave Baghad and be stopped at the airport that would be fitting since he steered the nation into chaos by persecuting Sunnis including Sunnis politicians and, as soon as the bulk of US troops pulled out of Iraq in December 2011, he was stopping Sunni politicians Tareq al-Hashemi (Vice President of Iraq) and Saleh al-Mutlaq (Deputy Prime Minister) as they attempted to visit the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Alsumaria reports Nouri is again likening peaceful protesters to terrorists and insisting that the demonstrators must be supervised and controlled by security forces because they will likely turn to violence.

All Iraq News quotes Deputy Prime Minister Bahaa al-Araji declaring today, "I will put all those who accused me of corruption under my foot."  He's going to need a really big foot.

Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed, Stephen Kalin and Robin Pomeroy (Reuters) report al-Araji "resigned on Monday and will be investigated for corruption, officials said, the first tangible result of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's push to tackle corruption in the face of mounting unrest."  al-Araji has been an elected member of Parliament since 2006 and is part of Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc in Parliament.

Iraq Times reports that al-Araji, in his resignation letter, stated he was resigning at the request of Moqtada while Al Mada states that the travel ban imposed on al-Araji was put in place by Moqtada.  In addition,  Alsumaria notes that Moqtada is calling for protests if the reforms are not implemented.

Iraq Times quotes Vice President Ayad Allawi stating that he has had his resignation ready for the last four months and that he believes early elections are the only answer.

Iraq is due to hold Parliamentary elections in 2018.  Early elections, if Iraq moved on this today, would most likely take at least six months (more based on past history) which would mean they would be held in early 2016.


Apparently Brookings is no longer in the business of analysis.

Instead, they've branched out into the field of gushing as evidenced by Luay al-Khatteeb's latest nonsense which includes:

Abadi's announcement on the 9th of August to institute a series of unprecedented reforms including the cancellation of some of the most senior positions in Iraq's Federal system, in a bid to end the sectarian quota-system, marks a potential watershed in Iraq's political history and its future.
If Abadi's gamble pays off, the 9th of August 2015 may in hindsight be remembered as a momentous day in Iraq's history, to outweigh the eventful regime change of the 9th of April 2003.


In hindsight this might be momentous!


Keep it in your pants, Luay, no one wants to see it.


Not everyone sees rainbows flowing from Haider al-Abadi's butt.  Tariq Alhomayed (Asharq Al-Awsat) offers warnings:

The concerns regarding Abadi’s decision are obvious. Iraq is drowning day-by-day in sectarian strife and tension, especially in light of the increasing marginalization of Sunnis in the country. This may lead Iraq down a path where the existing problem of Sunni and Shi’ite extremist groups becomes an even more disastrous problem. Certainly, few will mourn Nuri Al-Maliki’s departure from his position one of the country’s three vice presidents, but that does not mean that this latest move by Abadi comes armed with any specific mechanisms for its implementations or even guarantees that it will hold water. It is, then, hard to see how these measures will help abolish sectarian quotas for posts and safeguard the rights of all Iraq’s different religious and ethnic groups. This last point is especially salient since it was Abadi’s government that refused to arm Sunni tribal groups in the country fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), not to mention the uncertainty still surrounding proposed plans to reinstate Iraq’s Republican Guard and the lack of trust between Abadi’s Baghdad government and the Kurds.
The truth is that everything that has happened in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein points to a complete lack of trust between all of the country’s different religious and ethnic groups. Successive post-Saddam governments have all failed to properly solve the issue of sectarian quotas and cronyism, so why should Iraqis believe this latest move by Abadi will adequately address the problem? Why shouldn’t Iraqis believe that by canceling the posts Abadi is effectively turning into a new Maliki? Would Abadi ever allow a Sunni or Kurdish prime minister to form their own government in future, without him seeking to block those efforts for sectarian reasons or through an Iranian veto—as happened when the Shi’ite Nuri Al-Maliki regained his position as prime minister in 2010 despite losing the elections to Sunni candidate Iyad Allawi? In the absence of genuine political discourse and a national reconciliation process there are in truth no guarantees that Abadi is being sincere with this latest move. And, given everything that has happened recently in Iraq, it is extremely difficult to rely solely on (what may seem to be) good intentions. After all, the road to hell is paved with them, as the saying goes.  


Iraq Times reports Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi gave an interview to the BBC in which he stated that Haider was attempted to bypass and overturn the Constitution with these reforms or 'reforms' which the Constitution does not grant Haider the power to implement.

It's amazing how little attention has been given for what Haider's proposal, if implemented, means two weeks or two months on down the line.

Now it's more than worth again revisiting Ibrahim Saleh's February report for Niqash:

Recently there have been calls for major changes to the Iraqi political system, moving it from a parliamentary system to a presidential one. This would mean that rather than elected MPs in Baghdad choosing the country's President, voters would choose the President, who could then work somewhat separately from the also-elected Parliament. For example, the US is a presidential system. Iraq currently has a parliamentary system.

However politicians in Iraq are concerned that if this comes any closer to happening that it will be a way for former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to slip back into power, but this time through a legal back door. They are also concerned that while it may not be something that can happen immediately, there is potential for some changes to occur during the next elections.

The call for these changes were started by one of the Shiite Muslim militias involved in the fight against the extremist group known as the Islamic State. The group, League of the Righteous, or Asaib Ahl al-Haq in Arabic, is known to be closely linked with al-Maliki. It is also known to be one of the more hard line and extremist of the Shiite militias.

Which is why many local politicians saw this as a call to bring al-Maliki, who is currently somewhat sidelined as one of Iraq's three Vice Presidents, back to power. Al-Maliki's divisive policies and attempts to centralise power have taken a fair share of the blame for the country's current security crisis and, although his party was successful in the last elections, al-Maliki lost the post of Prime Minister to colleague, Haider al-Abadi late last year.

At today's State Dept press briefing, spokesperson John Kirby moderated a bit on Iraq which mainly (see first exchange) revealed how little the press is paying attention to Iraq.



QUESTION: Iraq?


MR KIRBY: Yes.


QUESTION: So about Prime Minister Abadi’s reform initiatives, he has removed two of his deputies and two vice presidents, including former Prime Minister Maliki, from power. What is the U.S. take on that? Is it good for the country at a time when it’s fighting the Islamic State?


MR KIRBY: Prime Minister Abadi has presented a proposal to streamline the Iraqi Government. We note that these measures were unanimously approved by the Council of Ministers. This is an internal Iraqi matter, but we do commend Prime Minister Abadi’s initiative to promote improved government services and transparency.
Please.


QUESTION: So one more thing about – inside Iraq but inside, actually, the Kurdistan region.


MR KIRBY: Say again?


QUESTION: Inside the Kurdistan region in Iraq, there is another crisis going on nowadays. And according to the experts, this crisis over the presidency of Kurdistan has reached a particularly dangerous level with the opposition parties stressing that president should not seek a third term, and he’s not willing, apparently, to not seek a third term. And --


MR KIRBY: You’re talking about President Barzani?


QUESTION: President Barzani, yes. So isn’t that – like aren’t you worried that this region, which is very important in your fight against Islamic State, might destabilize as a result of this internal leadership crisis?


MR KIRBY: Well, I’m not going to – as I said to your first question, I’m not going to talk about internal political matters inside Iraq. I think broadly speaking, Iraqi political leadership understands the threat that ISIL poses to them and to the Iraqi people, and we’re going to continue to work with the Government of Iraq to deal with the threat that they face. So I think I’d leave it there.


QUESTION: Has the United States – I know Mr. Brett McGurk was in Kurdistan, I think yesterday. Has the United States been in touch with the Kurdish officials over this specific issue, the crisis over the presidency?


MR KIRBY: We don’t ever talk about the details of diplomatic conversations. Ambassador McGurk is in Iraq to have a wide range of meetings and discussions with Iraqi leaders about how we can all work together to combat and to degrade and defeat ISIL inside Iraq.


QUESTION: Just one more, John. Sorry. Today, actually, there are media reports that the ruling party, which is the KDP, has – had moved its armored vehicles and its armed forces inside the capital Erbil, as basically a deliberate attempt to show muscle inside the capital at a time when the region is facing this leadership crisis. Aren’t you worried while you’re arming, of course, the Peshmerga, which is an effective force against ISIS in the ground, that this – what these weapons might – might be used in domestic struggles by the Kurds?


MR KIRBY: Well, I’m not aware of the events that you’re detailing there. I’d just go back to what I said before. I think we’re certainly comfortable that leaders in Iraq share the same sense of urgency and purpose that we do about the threat ISIL poses internally to Iraq and the Iraqi people but also regionally, and frankly, they’ve got aspirations beyond the region. I think everybody has that same shared sense of purpose, and that our – that we are as a coalition directing our energies, our efforts, our resources, against that threat. And everybody understands that that’s the threat that’s most important right now.


QUESTION: Thank you.


QUESTION: Could I have a quick follow-up, please?


MR KIRBY: Sure.


QUESTION: On the Iraqi reform package by Prime Minister Abadi, I know you don’t want to talk about the Iraqi internal issues, but from this building you have said many times that the problem of ISIS and the Iraqi issue is not only security, it is also the problem of governance that led to the ISIS unfolding.


MR KIRBY: Right.


QUESTION: And also even President Obama said that --


MR KIRBY: Right.


QUESTION: -- several times. So do you think this reform package is part of the plan that you are hoping that Prime Minister Abadi will fix the governance problem, or this is something else, you don’t support it?


MR KIRBY: I applaud you for a very deft attempt to try to get me to actually go ahead and comment on internal Iraqi politics. (Laughter.) It was a very well-constructed question – (laughter) – that I am going to not answer. (Laughter.)
Look, these are internal Iraqi matters. But as I said at my outset, we certainly commend Prime Minister Abadi for the initiative that he’s taking to promote government – to promote improved government services and transparency. I mean, he has really moved with alacrity to try to get at better governance inside Iraq, to be more inclusive, to be more responsive to the Iraqi people. And nothing changes about what we’ve said before about the importance of good governance in Iraq and, frankly, in Syria with respect to permanently being able to sustain a defeat of ISIL.


QUESTION: Okay, one more on Kurdistan. I just want to follow up on what Namo said. Actually, Ambassador McGurk and Ambassador Jones, they were meeting with the Kurdish officials over the weekend, specifically on Saturday, and they have discussed, actually, the issue related to the President Barzani. I do have a response from Ambassador McGurk’s office about that, but I just want to have a clear answer about that, if there is something United States want to favor in – to say in the favor of President Barzani that he – that they want to stay – President Barzani to stay because of the ISIS effort, or this is something you don’t want to talk about it?


MR KIRBY: I’m not going to get into the details of conversations. I mean, these are internal Iraqi political issues that the United States is not going to insert ourselves into. But you’re right; Ambassador McGurk did meet with President Barzani and other leaders there. He reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to continued cooperation with Iraqi Kurdish forces in the fight against ISIL, and he commended KRG officials for their coordination with the Government of Iraq and coalition members in that same fight, and he praised the contribution of Peshmerga forces.



QUESTION: One last on Iraq and Iran. On the – over the weekend and also that other – last week, I think, also, that Iranian, I don’t know, spy, whatever, intelligence, tried to assassinate one of the Iranian Kurdish opposition leaders in Iraq. And two days ago, one of the Iranian spy also was captured by the Iranian opposition leaders in Sulaymaniyah that he was trying to plant 20 kilograms of TNT in their headquarters where there are civilians also living there.



Moving to the topic of Iran, Vets Against The Deal has released a video opposing Barack's proposed deal.  The video features Iraq War veteran Staff Sgt Robert Bartlett.






Josh Rogin (Bloomberg) covers the group here and notes:

Retired Gen. Mike Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency during Obama’s first term, is an adviser to the group. He said soldiers by and large weren’t advocates of the war in Iraq, but were simply called on to serve and did their duty. But now, many of those individuals are veterans, and they want to have a say.
"They have a right and a responsibility to speak up,” Flynn said.




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