February 22, 2010

Well, I do not think I can tell you anything new about what we did in Iraq, but I can perhaps say something about what the Iraqis are doing themselves.
The Middle East is badly in need of democratic examples. In the modern age, it cannot be that an entire region is essentially without democratic governments with very, very few exceptions.
Iraq has been one of the worst tyrannies of the 21st century. That the Iraqis might be able to make their transition to democracy from their terrible tyranny that was there; but they might be able to do it in a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional society with Sunnis, Shia, Kurds and others all working together in a democratic institutions.
That will be new in the Middle East; and, there are some signs that they are doing precisely that and they have a long way to go and we are all holding our breath for the elections in March, that they will be open and fair and that all people would be represented.
But when I look at the campaign that is going on there, when I look at the brutal criticisms of their own government and other governments, I think they have quickly taken to some of the most important habits of democracy, which is not to be fearful of your own government.

That's Condi Rice, still not getting it Abuja, quoted by Sufuyan Ojeifo (This Day). Condi No One Could Have Guessed Rice still doesn't get it. She thinks democracy has taken hold in Iraq? What kind of idiot is she? The smartest thing she could do is just stop speaking in public. No one needs to hear from her, no one wants to her from her unless it's on the witness stand as she's tried for her role in War Crimes. The woman still has no clue. The only thing more ludicrous than Condi Rice are idiots like Rachel Maddow shoring up War Criminal Colin Powell and his flunky. There should no rehabilitation for the War Criminals. Isaiah's "The 'Fashionable' Conoleeza de Vil" from June 22, 2005.



The blood of the dead drips from her. She needs to take her lying ass and sit it down, there is no need to hear from her again until her death bed confession.

And it's not as though she has anything to offer. She's still lying. Iraq's falling apart, there's no chance in the world at "fair and free" elections there currently but she just can't stop lying.

The illegal war started in March 2003 and it continues. Mike Clary (Florida Sun Sentinel) reports that Florida National Guard members have completed their training in Texas and will be deploying to Iraq next week and "there is a seriousness of purpose among these men – and about 20 women – in the battalion, part of yearlong deployment of 2,500 members of the 53rd Combat Brigade. That represents the largest deployment of Florida National Guard troops since World War II." Jodi Baker (WOWT -- link has text and video option) reports on the over 700 members of the Nebraska National Guard who are preparing to deploy in the summer to Iraq or Afghanistan. John Tompkins (The Facts) reports on Ryan McDonald's preparing for Iraq deployment in a few weeks with McDonald explaining that right now, "I'm just visiting with my family as much as I can." Bryan Horwatch (Dunn County News) reports that Mary Lemke's three sons -- 19-year-old Lance Lemke, 21-year-old Greg Lemke, Jr. and 27-year-old Curtis Anderson -- are gearing up for deployment to Iraq along with other members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

Sgt Tresa L. ALlenmang (Town Talk) reports from Camp Shelby on the Louisiana National Guard training for deploying to Iraq and quotes Command Sgt Maj William E. Migues stating, "Though our mission in Iraq is very important, our biggest mission is to ensure that everyone gets home safely." Sandy Davis (Advocate) reports on the Camp Shelby training as well while the Daily Advertiser (link has text and video) reports of the training:

A convoy of armored vehicles, led by a pickup marked as an Iraqi police vehicle rolled into view.
Role-players dressed as Iraqi citizens, some of whom actually are expatriots, talked excitedly and motiioned to the convoy with fruits, rugs and other wares for sale.
A sudden explosion from an improvised explosive device threw the scene into action as troops opened fire on insurgents in the staged training exercise.
Fittingly called ambush training, it was all part of the drill for Guard troops preparing for a variety of duties in a deployment likely to last about 400 days.

CNN, AP and Iran's Press TV report on yesterday's helicopter crash which claimed the lives of 2 US service members. The Hillsboro Journal-News reports that Sgt Heath Theriac was injured serving in Basra on Sunday, February 14th along with a "Sgt. Simmons" from an explosion "which struck each of the humvees the men riding in as gunners."

And Condi wants to pretend she and her ilk accomplished a damn thing? She wants to pretend she 'gifted' freedom when all she did was start a never-ending blood bath? And she wants to lie the same way she lied while Secretary of State that things are going swimmingly? In this morning's Washington Post, Jackson Diehl offers a take on those wonderful elections Condi's so jazzed over and who is one of the prime moves in them:

First among these is Iran, which has a simple strategy for the coming months: Turn the elections into a bitter sectarian battle -- and thereby ensure that the next government will be led by its hard-line Shiite allies.
To an alarming extent, the campaign is succeeding. Tehran's leading agent, as both Hill and Odierno noted, is Ahmed Chalabi, a Shiite who in 2002 played a major role in persuading the Bush administration to go to war. Now he has managed to have hundreds of candidates eliminated from the election on the mostly bogus grounds that they were or are loyalists of Saddam Hussein's Baath party. His targets are not just Sunni leaders but secular nationalists -- the two most important banned candidates are leading members of cross-sectarian alliances. The success of those tickets would be a triumph for Iraqi democracy -- and a huge setback for Iran.
Chalabi aims to become prime minister of the next government, which would be a disaster for Iraq and for Washington. And worse outcomes are possible. Also angling for power are Bayan Jabr, a Shiite who oversaw the interior ministry when it was infamous for torture and death squads; and Ibrahim Jaafari, who as prime minister oversaw the eruption of the sectarian war of 2006-07.

But don't worry, Condi's constituency was Big Business, not the Iraqi people and Big Business cleaned up good. For example, GE announced a $200 million contract just last week:

BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- February 17, 2010 -- GE (NYSE:GE) today announced the signing of contracts totaling approximately US$200 million to supply power generation equipment and services for two independent power projects in the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq. The two projects will help support the region’s current and future power needs and the country’s overall efforts to develop its energy infrastructure.