FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O IS HARD AT WORK . . FUND RAISING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, ISN'T THAT WHY HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT? THOUGH THE ECONOMY REMAINS IN THE TOILET AND HE HAS NO IDEA HOW TO FIX IT OR ANY REAL INTEREST IN FIXING IT, AT LEAST HE WANTS TO TRAVEL THE COUNTRY RAISING MONEY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
MEANWHILE, THE PRESS GEARS UP FOR TWO BOOKS THAT ARE SURE TO LESS THAN TELL-ALLS FROM ADMINISTRATION INSIDERS. FORMER SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY TIMOTHY GIETHNER FAILED AT THE ECONOMY BUT MAY SUCCEED AS THE NEW KITTY KELLY. LESS SUCCESSFUL WILL BE HILLARY CLINTON WHO'S ALREADY OFFERED ONE BOOK WHICH HAD MUCH MORE INTERESTING THINGS TO COVER THAN THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS. OH WELL, MAYBE SHE'LL WRITE ABOUT THE DEATH OF SOCKS THE CAT.
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Today, the Kuwait News Agency insists, "Iraqi Minister of Defense Saadoun Al-Dulaimi met Representative of UN Secretary General for Iraq Nickolay Mladebnov on Tuesday to discuss the insurgency in the western governorate of Al-Anbar and other parts of Iraq."
No.
That didn't happen. Stop lying.
Oh, Mladebnov met with al-Dulaimi. That's correct.
But al-Dulaimi is not the Minister of Defense.
Iraq has no Minister of Defense, stop lying.
Back in July, 2012, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed, "Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has struggled to forge a lasting power-sharing agreement and has yet to fill key Cabinet positions, including the ministers of defense, interior and national security, while his backers have also shown signs of wobbling support."
That remains true.
Grasp that he went through his entire second term without ever nominating anyone to head the three security ministries.
Grasp that violence was down at the start of his second term.
Today?
It's at 2008 or 2007 levels depending upon the outlet.
So stop whoring.
Nouri refused to nominate people to head these ministries -- this is a supreme failure that goes to his grave incompetence and how he has failed Iraq.
Even after violence began to increase, he refused to nominate anyone for the three security posts.
Why?
If Parliament confirms a nominee, they hold that post -- whether Nouri wants them to or not. They can only be removed by a vote in Parliament.
Nouri refused to nominate people because he wanted control of the security ministries.
He got control.
And Iraq is yet again mired in ongoing violence.
That's on Nouri.
He should be charged with incompetence and maybe even treason.
How do you refuse to obey the Constitution?
And when you refuse to and your refusal drags the country into violence?
That sounds to me like treason.
I don't use the 't' word lightly.
Nouri's failures go to his incompetence and his paranoia is now a threat to the people of Iraq.
He needs to be removed from office.
From the prime minister's office to the office of President of Iraq, Aswat al-Iraq reports, "The Kurdish Union Party nominated today the special physician of President Jalal Talabani and the Governor of Kirkuk to assume Iraqi presidency office": Dr. Najm al-Deen Kareem.
The who did what?
The Kurdish Union Party. A minor player in the KRG (and one that's been angling cabinet positions in the KRG's government). The two dominant parties in the KRG now are the KDP and Goran. I don't see why they would back a minor party -- especially one closely associated with the PUK -- Jalal Talabani's party.
December 2012, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani suffered a stroke. The incident took place late on December 17, 2012 following Jalal's argument with Iraq's prime minister and chief thug Nouri al-Maliki (see the December 18, 2012 snapshot). Jalal was admitted to Baghdad's Medical Center Hospital. Thursday, December 20, 2012, he was moved to Germany. He remains in Germany currently.
His absence from the country has hurt his political party and it has hurt the country so it seems a little strange to think that his "special physician" would be warmly received by the bulk of Kurds. He is, after all, one of the people repeatedly claiming every six or so weeks for the last every 16 months that Jalal would be returning 'shortly.'
Dr. Kareem has earned applause for many things. For example, he denied Nouri's thugs entry into Kirkuk.
Hawija is in Kirkuk Province. Nouri wanted to attack the protester but needed to get more forces in during the five-day siege of Hawija. The problem for him was that Kirkuk forces would not let Nouri's SWAT forces enter. Dr. Najm al-Din Karim discussed this with Shalaw Mohammed (Niqash):
NIQASH: The incidents in Hawija, where protestors were killed by the
Iraqi military, also seems to have seen more Iraqi army forces enter
Kirkuk.
Al-Din Karim: Actually those forces did not come through Kirkuk -
they entered Hawija by helicopter. They tried to come through Kirkuk but
we prevented them from doing so. I know the Prime Minister disapproved
of this – he told me so last time we met.
He was right to refuse entry. In 2013, Nouri's method of 'communicating' with protesters was already well known. He'd denounce them as "terrorists," his people would follow the protesters to their homes, his people would arrest the protesters and they'd wound or kill the protesters.
January 7th, Nouri's forces assaulted four protesters in Mosul, January 24th, Nouri's forces sent two protesters (and one reporter) to the hospital, and March 8th, Nouri's force fired on protesters in Mosul killing three.
All of that and more appeared to be a trial run for what was coming, the April 23rd massacre of a peaceful sit-in in Hawija which resulted from Nouri's federal forces storming in. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. AFP reported the death toll rose to 53 dead. UNICEF noted that the dead included 8 children (twelve more were injured).
The doctor was more than right to stand up to Nouri.
But he's not the only high profile Kurdish politician to do so. Yes, KRG President Massoud Barzani has stood up to Nouri but that's true of pretty much all the Kurdish politicians except for Hoshyar Zebari. The embarrassing Minister of Foreign Affairs is practically Nouri's lapdog.
Nouri has many lapdogs -- including US President Barack Obama. I believe that's a first, for a puppet to make their controller a lapdog.
Al-Monitor runs an interview the outlet Azzaman did with the chief of the US Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, Lt Gen Michael Bednarek. Excerpt.
Azzaman: How do you follow up on the developments in Iraq?
Bednarek: We are following up on the situation in Iraq, and on the Iraqi efforts to fight terrorism. We are cooperating in this field by communicating with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Lately, we supplied Iraq with the necessary weapons to counter terrorism.
Since the eruption of the security problem and its aggravated ramifications in December 2013, and late January 2014 in Anbar, the US government has assisted the Iraqi armed forces, through the Iraqi federal government, by providing information and arms to resolve the battle against terrorism and enable Iraq to counter this grave danger. Since Jan. 17, 2014, the US has sent 14 million shells and rounds. The munitions consist of rifle rounds and Hellfire missiles. The US has also delivered nearly 7,000 pieces of weapons, namely rifles, rockets and rocket launchers. All of these shipments were sent to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and armed terrorist groups, and they came in response to the Iraqi government’s demands to urgently fight terrorism.
The latest shipment of weapons arrived on April 23, and we have shipped 800 cannon rounds. The next shipment consists of 99 Hellfire rockets and 1,000 tank rounds. Regardless of the amount and type of weapons, the US is still committed to its obligations in the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. It is a clear evidence to the partnership with Iraq, because we do not have any other ally that receives such a significant support in the security and defense sector.
Yes, the blood is on the White House which has pleaded for Nouri to receive weapons and shares 'intel' with him.
What does that mean? Barack's a butcher -- assisting a War Criminal which, in fact, makes him a War Criminal.
The ethically challenged administration has looked the other way for over four months now as Nouri has bombed the homes of civilians in Falluja. Today's targets? NINA notes 2 civilians dead and three more injured from the shelling of an apartment complex. We're not done yet. NINA notes that the bombing of the residential neighborhoods in north and south Falluja left 5 civilians dead ("including women and children") with ten more wounded.
This is being carried out with US weapons and US 'intel.' These War Crimes are on the orders of Nouri al-Maliki who Barack Obama made prime minister in 2010 even though Nouri lost the elections.
In other violence, National Iraqi News Agency reports the Ministry of the Interior announced 3 suspects were killed in Falluja, Joint Special Operations Command announced they killed 3 suspects and set a fuel tank on fire (the fuel tank, no doubt, looked suspicious), a Baghdad motorcycle drive-by left 1 person dead, 2 civilians were injured in a Falluja battle, a Latifiyah roadside bombing left 1 commander of the regiment of army 17th band dead and eleven serving under him were injured, 2 Jurfis-Sakhar roadside bombings left 3 Iraqi soldiers dead and six more injured, a Taji sticky bombing left 1 police member dead, the military killed four suspects in Kisik, a Mosul bombing left 1 police member and two civilians wounded, a Hit suicide bomber left 3 Iraqi soldiers dead and four more injured, a Ramadi suicide car bomber took his own life and the life of 1 Iraqi soldier with four police members injured, nd a Mosul roadside bombing left three police members injured.
RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
"Iraq leaves blood on their hands"
"The American Legion calls for Shinseki's resignati..."
"United We Stand and Shout and Dance and Make it Be..."
"Left and Right Unite Against Pro-Drone Lawyer's Ju..."
"People's Firewall to Save The Net (David DeGraw)"
"24's back (Mike)"
"Livingston Taylor (Kat)"
"Why I'm no fan of Eric Boehlert or Media Matters"
"revenge - the good"
"The Tomorrow People"
"The Originals"
"The Mindy Project"
"I offer praise for Charlie Rose (seriosly)"
"The good and the awful"
"You either promote women artists or you don't"
"The saddest site on TV"
"Female representation online and GM"
"All this and a dead aunt that looked like Tim Meadows!"
"THIS JUST IN! REALITY SCARES THE WHITE HOUSE!"
