CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O HITS THE ROAD THIS WEEK TO ASK THE MUSICAL QUESTION: WHERE IS THE LOVE?
HE MAY NOT LIKE THE ANSWERS.
LIKE THE GALLUP POLL WHICH FOUND MOST VOTERS WOULD NOT RE-ELECT HIM IF THE 2012 ELECTION WAS HELD TODAY.
OR THE VERDICT THAT HIS FUDGING THE GULF DISASTER NUMBERS RESULTED IN A LOSS OF THE PUBLIC TRUST.
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Saturday, Parks & Recreations' Amy Poehler returned to Saturday Night Live as the host and, on Weekend Update, she and Seth Meyers did their "Really" sketch (click here to stream the episode at NBC, click here to stream it at Hulu and click here to stream the Weekend Update clip at Hulu).
Seth Meyers: But you know what else is crazy? Anyone who says we need to attack Iran because we're definitely in two wars already. Yes, two. Because saying combat operations are over in Iraq when they're are still 50,000 troops is like saying, 'Hey, I quit drinking . . . tequila shots!'
Amy Poehler: Really.
Seth Meyers: Really.
US Capt Paul Cluverius describes September 5th (after the end of "combat" operations), "I came out of my office, was walking down the hallway when the VBIED went off. [. . .]. The blast, even as far away as our building is, still threw me against the wall. Soldiers were stumbling trying to find out what was going on. We immediately went to the roof to try and get eyes on what was going on." US Sgt Christopher Williams adds, "As long as we're here in this country, personally, as long as they're a threat, then there's combat operations. You tell yourself that, you don't get complacent. We're going to continue to do what we need to do to get home safe." Those are some of the voices of US service members that the BBC News' Gabriel Gatehouse has been speaking to since the magical August 31st when 'combat operations' ended via Barack casting a verbal spell. Apparently that incantation didn't take so somebody hand Barack a Book Of Miracles. In the meantime, Gatehouse was sharing those voices with John Hockenberry and Celeste Headlee on The Takeaway (PRI) today.
John Hockenberry: An every man for himself, get home mission? Is that what Operation New Dawn is all about now? You can hear this sense of betrayal in the voice of Sgt. Williams' commander, Capt Cluverius.
Capt Paul Cluverius: We have some soldiers, they were a little angry about it, saying, 'Hey, we're still over here. My personal standpoint? I thought it was humorous that they're saying combat operations are stopped because, I mean, combat operations are stopped? And what are we still doing here now? But our families, the people who know us, they know what we're doing. There is no switch that you can throw to say combat operations are stopped. I believe it was more of a media -- It was something built for the media.
[. . .]
Gabriel Gatehouse: These two guys, Paul Cluverius and Sgt Chris Williams were incredibly frank. To be honest, I didn't expect them to be that frank. We asked the US military if we could come on to that base and talk to people about that attack on the 5th of September. I expected them to be a bit more tight-lipped because, obviously, it-it contradicts the narrative about the end of combat operations. This happened only four days after the official handover. But they were very honest and I think that does play into the fact that those who are left behind here do feel that the whole media storm around the 'last combat troops leaving' and the handover was a bit of a media event and that it doesn't really reflect their reality on the ground today.
That's an excerpt.
Seth Meyers: But you know what else is crazy? Anyone who says we need to attack Iran because we're definitely in two wars already. Yes, two. Because saying combat operations are over in Iraq when they're are still 50,000 troops is like saying, 'Hey, I quit drinking . . . tequila shots!'
On Friday's Inside Iraq (Al Jazeera), former British MP George Galloway stated that sectarianism was incompatible with democracy: "It may be that the last election result shows that Iraqis, at least in their the majority, simple majority, are recognizing that and searching towards some kind of governance that will unite people across these sectarian divides. That's the meaning, I think, of Allawi -- much as a I despise him -- that's the meaning of his victory in those elections. The people chose his list rather than the other list which was overtly, systematically sectarian in nature. So I'm not saying that Iraq is doomed forever, but it will never rise above this morass until it can consolidate itself on the basis of Iraqi national unity." March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. The Guardian's editorial board noted last month, "These elections were hailed prematurely by Mr Obama as a success, but everything that has happened since has surely doused that optimism in a cold shower of reality." 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance -- this coalition still does not give them 163 seats. They are claiming they have the right to form the government. In 2005, Iraq took four months and seven days to pick a prime minister. It's six months and twenty days with no government formed.
Over the weekend, Iraiqya issued a statement. Al Jazeera quoted portions of it including: "Iraqiya believes the current type of government headed by Maliki cannot be repeated, so Iraqiya will not take part in any government headed by him." CNN observed, "The pronouncement highlights a failure to form an Iraqi government, and Iraqi officials fear that insurgents would take advantage of the political vacuum by trying to reignite the Sunni-Shiite sectarian bloodshed that gripped Iraq for years." AFP added, "Iraqiya also said on Saturday it regarded the newly formed National Alliance as 'a desperate attempt to strengthen political sectarianism'." Xinhua reports that State Of Law has a response to Iraqiya's announcement, dismissing Iraqiya's statement as "representing the opinion of the extremist members in their bloc."
Today, Alsumaria TV reports that Iraqiya met last night to discuss their options while "The National Alliance is pursuing talks after it failed in Sunday's meeting to name the Prime Minister candidate. Iraqi Vice President and Islamic Supreme Council senior official Adel Abdul Mehdi announced that the alliance did not make any progress in five days." And the stalemate effects more than the political slates and parties. Timothy Williams and Yasi Ghazi (New York Times) observe:
The voters have since watched winter turn to spring, and now summer become fall -- and the people they elected still have no leader. They are waiting for their parties to come to an agreement so they can start work. And while the summer months were marked by a surge in violence and by riots over the lack of electricity, drinking water and other basic services, in Baghdad, members of Parliament have lived out a workers' fantasy: a vacation of more than 200 days (and counting), with full pay and benefits, each free to do his heart's desire.
Meanwhile John Daniszewski and Edith M. Lederer (Associated Press) report on an interview AP did with Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari who is calling for the US to help break the political stalemate, "I personally think strongly that they have a role -- to encourage, to urge, to facilitate the Iraqis leaders to meet, to take the process further." This is not the first time Zebari has issued that plea.
RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
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"THIS JUST IN! CLOSE THE DOOR!"
"And now he goes behind closed doors"
