Iraqi government should be voted out: U.S. senator

Source: reuters


Iraqi government should be voted out: U.S. senator

Mon Aug 20, 5:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government should be voted out because it has failed to use the U.S. military buildup in that country to reach a political solution to end the war, a key U.S. lawmaker said on Monday.


"I hope that the Iraqi assembly, when it reconvenes in a few weeks, will vote the Maliki government out of office and will have the wisdom to replace it with a less sectarian and a more unifying prime minister and government," said Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.
........

The two senior lawmakers issued a joint statement saying that while the U.S. military "surge" in Iraq has given Iraqi politicians some breathing room, they have failed to make the compromises needed to bring peace to that war-torn nation.

"We are not optimistic about the prospects for those compromises," the Levin and Warner said in their joint statement.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070820/pl_nm/usa_iraq_senators_dc;_ylt=AvWxM2P8OLhOMRdCeombVjCs0NUE

"There's a consensus that there is no military solution and there is only a political solution, and that's truer now than it has ever been, and the gridlock has got to end in that government if there's going to be a political solution," Levin said.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Iraqi leaders were currently meeting to try to reach a political settlement.

"We believe that Prime Minister Maliki and the Presidency Council will be able to get this important work done, work that is being done on the local level where we see bottom-up reconciliation taking hold," Johndroe said.

Levin said he and Warner met with Gen. David Petraeus, who is to make a report on progress in Iraq in September. The White House said on Monday, the general will likely testify to Congress around September 11 or September 12.

He has no right to give the Iraqi parliament marching orders while the US is literally holding a gun to their heads.

His enthusiasm for colonial control of Iraq is disgusting and reprehensible. but predictable.

A no-brainer.

Personally I do not like the way this smells, no matter how you slice it.

http://www.counterpunch.org/kroth07102007.html

IMPEACH OUR OWN SOB?

I wish him a safe 9 month tour.

I am quite dismayed Sen. Levin's remarks although I have no trouble assuming that Sen. Warner would be scapegoating the Iraqis for what amounts to a Republican failure.

What if the Senators were of the belief that hostilities were going to break out with Iran and our troops in Iraq were to come under increased attack? Isn't it probable that Bush would use the pretext of protecting our troops as a justification for removing the Maliki government given its ties to militias and Iran? Do you think that Bush would turn to someone like Chalabi or someone like him?

This may be the Iraqis only chance at a government that has their interests at heart and to avoid one that would rule by decree. The first decree would probably implement the Oil Law.

Please read the following by Arthur Silber to see why I think this is feasible.

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2007/08/worsening-nightmare.html


Thanks to the DU-er who recently posted this link.

the shit-head who may be president.

There's not one ounce of sovereignty present. I say "just" acknowledging, but I do condemn his statement. Iraq must be for Iraqis, who must determine their own government and social system. Neither Bush nor Levin should be giving marching orders to Iraqi flunkeys.

If you want a natural enemy of Al-Qaeda and Iran to run Iraq, we should have never toppled the Baathists! Too bad we executed Saddam, we certainly could use him now!

It is good that the entire world gets to see the sham of American "freedom and democracy" for what it is, craven colonialism.

No wonder our Congress did not heed Kucinich's warnings, and proceeded to pass an "Iraqi" oil law in which BIG OIL steals Iraq's oil.

know thyself. Impeach Bush.

Source: Washington Post

Senator Calls for Maliki's Ouster
Levin Urges Iraqis To Replace Leaders

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 21, 2007; A01

Declaring the government of Iraq "non-functional," the influential chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said yesterday that Iraq's parliament should oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his cabinet if they are unable to forge a political compromise with rival factions in a matter of days.

"I hope the parliament will vote the Maliki government out of office and will have the wisdom to replace it with a less sectarian and more unifying prime minister and government," Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) said after a three-day trip to Iraq and Jordan.

Levin's statement, the most forceful call for leadership change in Iraq from a U.S. elected official, comes as about two dozen lawmakers are traveling to Iraq during Congress's August break to glean firsthand assessments before receiving a progress report next month from Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander there, and Ryan C. Crocker, the U.S. ambassador.

Not every Democrat has come back from Iraq supporting a drawdown of U.S. forces in the coming months, as party leaders have advocated. Staking out positions that could complicate efforts to achieve party unity in September, a few Democratic lawmakers have returned expressing support for a continued troop presence. One of them, Rep. Brian Baird (Wash.), said yesterday that he will no longer vote for binding troop withdrawal timelines.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/20/AR2007082000871_pf.html

Although Miliki is merely a bush puppet and, as they would say, "serves at the pleasure of bush."

As Msongs said, I think Levin's time would be better spent either calling for the "ouster" of the bush criminal cabal or, better, taking steps to do just that. The next step would be the "ouster" of our occupying and brutalizing military from Iraq. Then he can talk about turning over the cabal to whatever government evolves in Iraq and let them mete out their justice while we pay reparations for our unjustified destruction of their country and murder of their citizens.

But no, I guess it's just easier to bloviate from a safe distance -- kind of like Pat Robertson calling for Chavez' assassination.

Truedat.

time to ratchet up the rhetoric before next months scheduled dance around the oil law...or the all important Iraqi political benchmark #1..which will of course, provide stability to the region and enable the 're-deployment' of U.S. troops.

Yesterday you had Schumer making excuses to keep a discount tax rate for hedge fund operators.

Why the fuck do I even bother anymore?

I believe this was posted yesterday as well. But I'll say again, the US should not be in Iraq and should not be dictating to Iraqis about their "government," even if it's merely a puppet.