WP: Iraqis Say U.S. to Cede Power by Summer

Town Meetings to Set Process in Motion

Saturday, November 15, 2003; Page A01

BAGHDAD, Nov. 14 -- The Bush administration told leaders of Iraq's Governing Council on Friday that it intends to transfer sovereignty of Iraq by next summer to a provisional government selected by delegates chosen in town meetings across the country, officials of the U.S.-appointed council said.

Driven to revise its blueprint for Iraq's political transition because of intensifying attacks by insurgents, the administration's new plan abandons a process that would have required Iraqis to write and approve a constitution and hold national elections for a permanent government before the handover of power. Under the new strategy, sovereignty would first be given to a provisional government, which would oversee the writing of a constitution and the convening of elections for a permanent government.

But some council officials said the plan, which does not envisage any sort of national election until late 2004 or early 2005, could prove controversial among Iraqis. While there appears to be broad public support for a fast handover of sovereignty, there also is a strong desire among many Iraqis to choose their new leaders -- even interim ones -- through an election. It remains unclear whether town meetings, where participation likely would be restricted to people deemed to be community leaders, would be regarded as legitimate.

The plan would enable President Bush to end the formal occupation of Iraq before the 2004 election in the United States -- a key goal of the White House -- but would not end the American presence in Iraq. U.S. officials expect the provisional government to permit tens of thousands of American soldiers to remain in the country, along with hundreds of civilian reconstruction specialists.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42778-2003Nov14.html

They are scrapping the Iraqi Governing Council with very selective elections from invitation-only town hall meetings. Just as they have said. The media propoganda campaign of the 2004 election season has begun. George Bush will liberate Iraq by November, all the while still stealing their oil (obviously).

Vietmamization AGAIN?

YEP

Wanna bet Rove's hands are all over this one

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 14 — The Bush administration has agreed to restore independence to Iraq as early as next June, apparently hoping the move will change the perception of the United States as an occupying power and curb the mounting attacks on American forces in the country, Iraqi and American officials said Friday.

The plan to accelerate the transfer of power was put forward by Iraqi leaders this week, and taken to Washington by L. Paul Bremer III, the American administrator in Iraq. Late on Friday, officials said, a newly returned Mr. Bremer hastened to tell members of the Iraqi Governing Council's inner leadership circle that the White House had broadly accepted the plan.

(snip)

"This is good for everyone," said Ahmad Chalabi, a council member who saw Mr. Bremer on Friday night. "We will have the U.S. forces here, but they will change from occupiers to a force that is here at the invitation of the Iraqi government."


more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/15/international/middleeast/15IRAQ.html?hp

"This is good for everyone," said Ahmad Chalabi, a council member
who saw Mr. Bremer on Friday night. "We will have the U.S. forces
here, but they will change from occupiers to a force that is here
at the invitation of the Iraqi government."

Could it be any clearer than that?

WP: The administration wants the new political blueprint to appear as if it were generated by the council and not by Bremer and the White House . Council officials said the presidents intend to discuss the new approach with the full 24-member council on Saturday at a meeting that Bremer might also attend.

NYT: The plan to accelerate the transfer of power was put forward by Iraqi leaders this week, and taken to Washington by L. Paul Bremer III, the American administrator in Iraq. Late on Friday, officials said, a newly returned Mr. Bremer hastened to tell members of the Iraqi Governing Council's inner leadership circle that the White House had broadly accepted the plan.

So it was the Iraqi's idea or it was the WH plan given to the Iraqi's. And who is supposed to be fooled by this??

read an interesting article that states most Iraqi's have a certain dislike for the people on the council. That the council is doing nothing more than looking out for their own interests. And most of the time they are not even in the country.. That's the kicker.. Bremer calls meeting and if he get 4 or 5 of them to show up, its somehow a success..

The IRaqi council is a sham at best. But the corporate owned media won't let the American people know it..

http://news.yahoo.com/?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031115/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_occupation

U.S. Aims to End Iraq Occupation by June

The U.S.-led occupation will end by June after selection of transitional government, the Iraqi Governing Council said Saturday.

The announcement was made following talks between the council and the chief administrator, L. Paul Bremer, who returned Thursday from Washington after talks with President Bush (news - web sites) and senior national security advisers.

Council member Ahmad Chalabi, appearing at a news conference with other members, said the selection of a transitional government should be completed by May... snip

This implies that all the troops are going to be OUT of Iraq, to me. That can't be right, can it?

than with the times & post's versions.

http://www.theiowachannel.com/news/2640293/detail.html?treets=des&tml=des_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=des_natlbreak_3701_08530011152003">iowa channel

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Iraqi Governing Council says the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq will end by next June after a transitional government is selected.

Saturday's announcement was made following talks between the council and chief U.S. administrator Paul Bremer, who returned Thursday from Washington after talks with President George W. Bush and senior national security advisers.

At a news conference, council member Ahmad Chalabi said the selection of a transitional government should be completed by May. He says the government will have "full sovereignty" and be "internationally recognized."

The council president, Jalal Talabani, says the transitional administration will be selected after consultations with "all parties" in Iraqi society.

There was no immediate word on whether coalition troops would remain in Iraq once the occupation ends.

;)

1. The Iraqis don't care for the American picked council and have voiced their displeasure by killing some of them.

2. Americans have been LIED to about this war, 9/11, and you name it. We will still need troops over there and they will still be getting killed.


This will change nothing. The Republicans have become convinced, to a fault, that image is everything. There comes a point where this gives you diminished returns and they have gone beyond that point.

1 - TURN OVER IRAQ TO SOME YAHOO WEAK "GOVERNMENT"

2 - HAVE THE 2004 PREZ ELECTIONS

3 - IRAQ, UNDER THE YAHOO GOV, FALLS, A LA SAIGON

If they turn over too early, the fall will happen before the election, so bad.

If they turn over too late (after the election), bad.

So US soldiers must die until Karl Rove decides that the election timing is just right.

That's going to be a party.

Saddam survives and steps in to reclaim power. Without a doubt he
will be enthusiastically accepted by most Iraquis as a leader of
unquestionable legitimacy.

At all costs! No dead Americans beyond June!

- karl

I'll eat my hat if they just come back home.

we can still tell the voters we are working on getting our troops out of that mess...

400 American Troops (that we know of) have died in eight months, working out to roughly 50 DEATHS PER MONTH.

Assuming Summer begins on the 21st of June, we can expect ANOTHER 350 AMERICAN DEATHS if the current kill rate holds up.

Tell me again what we're fighting for in Iraq?

:freak:
dbt

and that my friends will just piss off Bush more than anything. He will not be able to control the oil with the military. He will not be able to threaten the Middle East from Iraq anymore. Military support for Isreal will be an ocean away, not a country away.

Look what the Dems will inherit if they win the election. A world that does not trust the US, a war without a defined enemy.

IF he does get all the troops out before the election, sending any back under any circustances will not bode well.
IF he leaves any troops there, the crys for bring our troops home will continue.
IF Shrub wins the elections - the world looses and continues spinning in chaos.
The Iraqi people loose any hope of freedom as they will probably end up caught in years of civil war.
Our troops will continue to suffer losses as casualties mount up while Shrub plays politics.
Sorry, so pessimistic...the news, even what they try to spin as good news, has just been too depressing. The spin has become soooo transparent, just look at how many versions there are of this story.

Isn't this a signal that in fact the U.S. is going to cut and run?

It's doubtful the plan is to remove US troops by June. If US forces, with all their technology and training can't handle the insurgents, a hastily raised Iraqi army with doubtful loyalty is going to survive about 10 days.

This is, first, a legalistic maneuver. There will be a 'soverign' Iraqi gov't totally dependent on US troops for survival. That 'government' will 'invite' US troops to stay around, so it won't be an 'occupation' any longer.

The Bushies will -try- to create the appearance of progress before the elections. But it's a real hard appearance to create.

The headlines will change from Insurgents attacking the occuoying force to Insurgents attacking the Iraqi government. Look at how the Saudi bombings play out. When it's muslims killing muslims the spin turns more toward the Bush side. Even more, they need to show "progress" so this will be it.

reducing you to grasping at straws because the public on both sides of the divide demand action.

next summer and fall is going to be brutal, and the press is going to be caught in the middle. Bush's re-selection is going to entirely hinge on how the situation in Iraq gets reported.

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This is what we get for allowing the selection of a moron and coward as president. Too stupid to recognize Osama's briar patch, then too cowardly to handle the disaster with dignity, courage and grace.

"whim" of a PROVISIONAL Iraqi gov't...but never under UN commmand according to this Admin.

So. let's see who will be in the provisional gov't.....if it isn't truly representative, I would expect the beginning of civil war....