Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Cranky's ready to share the blame

BULLY BOY PRESS &     CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE



THOUGH SHE TRIED TO CLAIM CREDIT FOR IRAQ WHILE SECRETARY OF STATE, NOW THAT IRAQ'S GONE TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET, CRANKY CLINTON'S THRILLED FOR THE PRESS TO NOTE SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IRAQ.


SAID CRANKY TO THESE REPORTERS EARLIER TODAY, "NOW IF I COULD JUST FARM OUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR BENGHAZI AS WELL!"


FROM THE TCI WIRE:



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.






RECOMMENDED:  "Iraq snapshot"
"Veterans Against The Deal"
"The scramble following the reforms announcement"
"Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Justice for Hi..."
"Hejira"
"The Man From UNCLE"
"Her problems are not going away"
"Hillary"
"She brought it on herself"
"The whore of Baghdad"
"Oh, Nouri"
"Cracker Janeane Garofalo, shut the f**k up"
"The Goose Girl"
"Iraq"
"janeane garofalo makes it so hard to miss her"




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