Motivational Speech from America to Iraq

This thing kind of speaks for itself, but I have to say a few things. Firstly, I never had a drill sargeant talk that nice to me when I was in the army. Drill sargeants are generally meaner than snakes and they have a captive audience. Secondly, the Arabic translator is sugar-coating everything the guy is saying. For example, when the American soldier called the Iraqi soldiers pussies, the translator instead said, "You didn't do it."

4:00:

American: Any questions?

Iraqi soldier: When we heard something is happening in the factory, we went there and the Americans said 'you're crazy and you're in the militia and you're Iranis.' And everybody got killed in the factory and we went there to check it out. And when we tried to intervene, Americans came and said we were terrorists and took our IDs. And they said it's not your duty to intervene. The Americans even arrested our sargeant. And then everybody called us Iranis and terrorists.

American: You want to erase that image...you want to fix your image? Fuck your stupid checkpoints, they're worthless. Get together, get all your weapons and start marching South, towards the river. I guaruntee you'll get in a gun fight and I guaruntee you'll fuck some people up. Get down there and kick some ass.

Iraqi soldier: Ok, so give us some trucks to go.

American: Fuck, you don't need trucks. Take some water, take some food, and walk.

Iraqi: How can we go there when the airplanes are on top of us? And they call us terrorists and Iranis? The last time it happened, the airplanes and hummers surrounded us and arrested us.

American: Hey, quit making excuses...until you man up, shut the fuck up.

Iraqi: We cannot do anything because American snipers are everywhere.

"One thing is for certain: he caused you to ask me a question about him."

The internets are abuzz with the whole shoe throwing fiasco. In case you just got back from outer space or whatever, what happened was an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at Bush during a press conference, and also called him a dog, which is the second worst insult in Arabic, #1 being, "your sister's pussy."

W ducked just in time, with an amused smile on his face, then ducked again when the second shoe was thrown. You can see the BBC's fancy slow-mo video of that here. The best part was when a reporter later asked him a question about the incident and he said, "I don't know what his cause is.[...]But one thing's for sure: he caused you to ask me a question about him."

The journalist, Muntadar al-Zeidi, has become an overnight hero in the Arab world, with comics already commemorating the incident. He was arrested after the incident, of course, and today thousands of Iraqis protested his incarceration and demanded his release, many saying that he did what world leaders were too afraid to do: stand up to Bush and denounce, among other things, the killing of 98,000 Iraqi civilians since 2003.

His shoes are still being held as evidence. He may never see them again.

McCain Backpedals on Iraq Timetable

Once upon a time, I wrote about how the Iraqi Prime Minister agreed with Barack Obama's timetable for troop withdrawal.

But then they backpedaled:

Mr. Maliki’s statement had been “as not conveyed accurately regarding the vision of Senator Barack Obama, U.S. presidential candidate, on the timeframe for U.S. forces withdrawal from Iraq.”

Now everyone is jumping on that bandwagon.

McCain backpedals on Wolfe Blitzer:


I think when you jump on your opponent's bandwagon, you have to admit at that point that he's got the upper hand.

Iraqi Gov't Issues Oops

In a follow-up about this thing I wrote two days ago...

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki got George Bush to agree to a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq. But this didn't get him any street cred in his part of the world. Al Jazeera said:

There's a rumor going around that Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is feeling his oats, flexing his muscle, and displaying a newfound confidence that has allowed him to challenge the American occupation of Iraq...But that's mostly wrong.

Now he's losing even more cred as he backtracks in a really lame way. In an interview with Spiegel:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months. When asked in and interview with SPIEGEL when he thinks US troops should leave Iraq, Maliki responded "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He then continued: "US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

But then somebody was like, "shit, what if Obama loses?" and issued this official fart:

Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, issued a statement saying Mr. Maliki’s statement had been “as not conveyed accurately regarding the vision of Senator Barack Obama, U.S. presidential candidate, on the timeframe for U.S. forces withdrawal from Iraq,” but it did not address a specific error.

The New York Times says about this:

Naturally, Mr. Maliki did not want to imply he was backing one candidate over another in a foreign election.

And the Atlantic Monthly says:

Matthew Yglesias, a blogger for the Atlantic Monthly, was astonished by "how little effort was made" to make the Baghdad denial convincing.

Plus, Spiegel has, like, transcripts.

So basically the moral of the story is that Maliki can't get no R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Iraq Asserts Adolescent Independence

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has finally succeeded in getting president Bush to agree on setting a timetable for troop withdrawal.

The AP says:

The two leaders agreed that improvements in security should allow for the negotiations "to include a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals, such as the resumption of Iraqi security control in their cities and provinces and the further reduction of U.S. combat forces from Iraq," the White House said.

Bush repeatedly has vetoed legislation approved by Congress setting deadlines for American troop cutbacks.

It's like when your teenage children keep pushing the limits in their natural drive to become independent.

And then there's a surprise move where they help each other save face:

Friday's White House statement was intentionally vague and did not specify what kind of timelines were envisioned. That allows Iraqi officials, who are facing elections in the fall, to argue they are not beholden to Washington or willing to tolerate a permanent military presence in Iraq. For Bush, it points the way toward a legal framework for keeping American troops in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires on Dec. 31.

Bush ought to be proud.

But in the Middle East, al-Maliki is not exactly seen this way.

Al Jazeera says:

There's a rumor going around that Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is feeling his oats, flexing his muscle, and displaying a newfound confidence that has allowed him to challenge the American occupation of Iraq. As a result -- so the story goes -- Maliki has suspended talks with the United States on a long-term security agreement, and has spoken out in favor of a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces.

But that's mostly wrong. From the start of his reign as prime minister in 2006, Maliki has been a weak and ineffectual leader. His political base is exceedingly narrow, and his Dawa Party is virtually nonexistent as a political force in Iraq today.

It seems that standing up to Bush will not be enough to gain him respect in his own part of the world. He's dealing with pressure from all sides:

Both Maliki and ISCI want to maintain U.S. support for the army and police, which have grown astronomically, from 337,000 in 2007, to 556,000 in 2008. So they can't afford to alienate Washington. At the same time, Maliki and ISCI are responding to strong pressure from Iran, which wants the Americans out of Iraq, and from Iraqi nationalists, who feel the same way. (Of course, the nationalists also want Iran to get out of Iraq.) That is not a formula for political strength.

The Fight to be the Sandbox King

Photo by photoluna25.

The US and Israel still seem very interested in attacking Iran to keep them from having nuclear weapons. Most of the debate around this concerns whether Iran is using its nuclear technology to create harmless power or to create weapons. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand how the US and Israel can be complaining about anybody having nuclear weapons. These two countries have nuclear weapons in fantastical numbers. I might feel a little less confused about this if anyone could show me an instance where either country justified this hypocrisy, even if their justification makes no sense. But I guess since the US invaded Iraq without any such justification, I really shouldn't get my hopes up.

Chaaaaanyway, Al Jazeera says:

This is while Iran insists that it is conducting its nuclear program under the regulations of the UN nuclear watchdog and insists that its program is aimed at generating electricity for a growing population.

Israel, believed to be the sole possessor of 'at least 150 nuclear warheads' in the Middle East, seeks to persuade US President George W. Bush to halt Iran's nuclear program by military rather than diplomatic means before the end of his term in office.

US Caught with Hand in Cookie Jar

Photo by soldiersmediacenter.

This AP article lists violent incidents in Iraq for the week, including a remote-detonated truck bomb, a failed suicide bomb attempt by a female Iraqi, and a raid led by the US in which Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's cousin was killed.

This last bit is the most interesting part because the US had previously agreed to hand over control of this area to Iraqi forces.

AP says:

Officials close to the prime minister said the killing enraged al-Maliki, who has been locked in negotiations in recent months over a long-term security agreement with the United States.

Al-Maliki demanded an explanation from the Americans, who promised an investigation into the incident, said the officials Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Karbala Gov. Aqil al-Khuzaie said in a statement Saturday that the raid was a violation of an agreement signed with the U.S. last year that transferred Karbala to the control of Iraqi security forces.

This move may or may not have consequences for the US in Iraq. Nouri al-Maliki and his cabinet are working hard to destroy their image as Bush's lapdogs, beginning when they banned Blackwater mercenaries last September. And as they gain more and more control over their own security forces, the US will become more and more accountable for its actions.

Bush Getting Blue Balls over Iran

Iraq's president, Nouri al-Maliki, made another visit to Iran yesterday to discuss the two countries' relationship and ask for Iran's help in supplying electricity. Guess what else happened yesterday. Another suicide truck bomb blew up, this time on a US patrol base in eastern Iraq. Weird that al-Maliki's visits with Ahmadinejad keep coinciding with suicide truck bombs, the reported hallmark of al-Qaida.

A crackdown on Iraqi militias in March revealed "very, very significant amounts" of Iranian weaponry, which led Iraqi leaders to question Iran about what, exactly, its intentions are (source). However, this most recent meeting could mark a turning point in Iraq-Iran relations, with the possibility of Iran supplying electricity to the Southern Iraq city of Basra.

Despite these attacks of suspected Iranian origin being on Iraqi soil, it is the US that has been most hurt by the truck bombs and other militia attacks. And it has been the US that has been most vocal about Iran's guilt in supplying weapons to insurgents and creating nuclear weaponry. Nevermind that US intelligence reports disproved this suspicion a while ago.

And in light of Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's recent meetings, wherein they discuss the prospect of attacking Iran, it seems the US has a boner for Iran and will recruit whatever allies necessary, or whatever "evidence" necessary, to make that attack happen.

Unfortunately for Bush, his puppet Iraq is starting to make decisions for itself, which may leave him without key support in completing his conquest of the Middle East.

UPDATE:
NowPublic says:

But Peace and Freedom has learned independently that the nuclear research labs of Iran are so many and so disbursed that the Israeli Air Force would have difficulty "servicing the entire target list" we were told by an IAF officer.

There is speculation among military analysts that the United States would have to assist the IAF in any full-scale effort to neutralize Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

One specialist told us, "We foresee a scenario where Israel initiate action and the U.S. cleans up."

And by "clean up" they mean "reorganize the government and install leaders that pander to our interests." Which is a disaster in the making because, as the wife one Iraqi politician said back in 2005, “George Bush can say what he likes, but he cannot control the situation.”

al-Qaida Has Too Many Irons in Fire

al-Qaida's signature suicide car bomb made another appearance today, this time in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. That makes three al-Qaida bombings in three countries in the last two weeks. One might think they were spreading themselves too thin if one didn't already know they were the disposable pawn of Iran's great mastermind.

Syria, Iran, al-Qaida cuckolding Iraq

Iran and al-Qaida influences resurfaced in Iraq today as a suicide bomber in a truck killed 16 people in Sinjar, a town near the Syrian border. We learned last week that the truck bomb is the hallmark of al-Qaida. It had not been used with any regularity in Iraq, however, since August of last year when a series of truck bombs killed 500 people in Sinjar.

Coincidentally, this attack occurred during the month in which the fewest Ally fatalities had occurred. The pot needed stirring. Emphasizing the further coincidentalness of this event, AP says:

Meanwhile, Iraq's Shiite vice president discussed security cooperation with Iranian officials during a previously unannounced visit to Iran, the government said Thursday.

Although both governments are dominated by Shiites, relations have been strained since al-Maliki launched a crackdown on Shiite militias and opened talks with the United States on a long-term security pact.

U.S. officials have frequently accused Iran of jeopardizing peace in Iraq by supplying weapons to anti-U.S. Shiite militias. Iran denies the allegation.

So basically, this truck bomb blew up and Iraq marched over to Iran, knocked on their door, and said, "What the hell?! Knock it off!"

One time when I was a kid, my friend took my toy away and I said, "Stop that or I won't be your friend anymore!"

Also, in reference to my last post musing over who might be in bed with Iran, Syria has announced its candidacy.

The Telltale Inky Finger

Once again, several years after the fact, I've seen an interesting documentary about "current" events. My Country, My Country by Laura Poitras is part biopic about Dr. Riyadh, an Iraqi doctor turned political candidate, and part silent condemnation of American and UN policies.

The film follows Doctor Riyadh (a Sunni) and others over the course of the eight months during which the 2005 Iraqi elections were organized. I was at first struck by the obvious fact that there were no Iraqis present at these planning meetings or involved in the distribution of the ballots. This seemed to be a concern for the Americans, French, and Australians in charge of the process as their planning revolved around making the elections seem credible.

This is what people had to say about it:

“We are an occupied country with a puppet government. What do you expect?”

“This is a sham. The war has been over since last May.”

“George Bush can say what he likes, but he cannot control the situation.”

“The question is, the constitution will be drafted by this so-called democratically elected government. But what if this constitution opposes America's interests by, let’s say, 60%. What will America do?”

“They want the elections to look as Iraqi as possible.”

This last quote was in reference to the fact that mercenaries were used to secure the polling places as it was not seen as wise to have American uniforms visible in news broadcasts about the event.

Another major theme in the film was the condescension dripping from the tongues of leaders in uniform. One such professional was training a group of men for the Iraqi police force and his speech included the words, "“Your country is filled with history, and I want you to remember that.” Another officer briefed a room full of interpretor soldiers with a slide show that included a shot of the words "Fake you, USA" graffitied on a wall. He seemed to feel that what was most important to emphasize about this was that they had spelled it wrong, that they had meant to write "Fuck you, USA." However, in the same speech he cried over two of his interpretors that had been killed while on duty and I realized he was just as ill-equipped to deal with the situation as those he had just been mocking.

The voting method used was to dip the voter's finger into a cup of ink, after which they would mark the ballot with it. This resulted in voters being physically tagged for several days as having voted. 44 people were killed at polling sites. Dr. Riyadh's wife and children feared doubly as being the family of a Sunni candidate and for having voted. His wife said after returning home from the polling place, “I hid my finger on the way back. I was afraid people would know I voted.”

The immediate result of the election was that over 7 million Iraqis voted, 58% of the elligible voters. Dr. Riyadh's party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, received 21,000 votes. Only 2% of elligible Sunni's voted. You can read about the long-term results here.

Other aspects of the film are Kurdish feelings about Arabs, Sunni feelings about Shias, moderate's feelings about extremists and eveyone's feelings about the occupation.

The Iraq Sitch, Continued

This is from Mohammed's blog, who I have found to be generally bitter and jaded about his country's situation and future. Let it be known that other Iraqis feel hopeful and content about their situation, but those Iraqis are being quoted namelessly by Reuters and not writing their own blogs.

They accused AlQaeda for this explosion in addition to the one in Adhamiya…but I strongly believe it was either Badir Brigade or the Iranian intelligence because AlQaeda is almost defeated in Baghdad and even if they are not I believe they are not able to carry such operations anymore…they don't have any stronghold now…in addition to that Ahmedi Najad visited Karada and I'm sure he didn't like seeing the people shopping and walking safely in the streets because the last thing Iran wants is peace in Iraq for one simple reason because this will mean that USA have won and USA will be free to take care of Iran in addition to that they will gradually loose control over Iraq and the unlimited benefits they get from Iraq….at least that's what I'm thinking…Iran is one of the biggest beneficial of the situation in Iraq.

My favorite part was, "I'm sure he didn't like seeing the people shopping and walking safely in the streets because the last thing Iran wants is peace in Iraq for one simple reason: because this will mean that USA have won and USA will be free to take care of Iran."

Note: I added punctuation in this quote. Sometimes Mohammed kills me with his lack of punctuation.

News Bulletin: Iraq is a War zone

Somehow I stumbled upon a collection of Iraqi blogs. Some written by those still living there, some by refugees in Syria or Jordan.

"We were all refugees. I was suddenly a number. No matter how wealthy or educated or comfortable, a refugee is a refugee. A refugee is someone who isn’t really welcome in any country- including their own... especially their own."

Read "Baghdad Burning" here.