Friday, August 14, 2015

THIS JUST IN! THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL TAKE A LITTLE WHILE!

BULLY BOY PRESS &     CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE


RUTH MARCUS OF THE WASHINGTON POST FINALLY NOTES FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O IS "EMBITTERED."

FINALLY.



Along with wondering where Kubis is, Arabic social media is abuzz with questions over Haider's reforms or 'reforms' -- and with good reason.





No one knows what is taking place but everyone's treating the proposals as a good thing.







  • We welcome PM Abadi's sweeping initiative to improve government services & combat corruption, now endorsed unanimously by Iraq's parliament.


  • Are they a good thing?


    The US Congress has been repeatedly told this year that Haider was giving more power to local areas and how important this was and how it demonstrated that he was not another Nouri al-Maliki but someone who wanted to share power.  Despite this repeated claim, Al Mada notes the reforms or 'reforms' will give Haider the power to fire the local heads of government.

    This is a power the prime minister has not had previously.

    In addition, Alsumaria reports that he's now declaring he next plans to alter Iraq's Constitution.


    While we cautioned here and noted that the political system was going to immediately change to one in which the prime minister was basically a president with sole control of everything, Brookings gushed and issued p.r. copy.


    More and more, it's looking like the protests and the protesters were used by Haider and others to push through changes in the political system that do create a more responsive and accountable government.



    At the end of July thousands of locals took to the streets of Baghdad to protest against the lack of state services – and especially the breakdown in electricity supply, which was making their lives very difficult in summer temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius. Most of the organisers of these demonstrations were civil society activists and other prominent local personalities and their aims were clearly stated. They wanted the Ministry of Electricity reformed and an end to corruption there.
    The demonstrations took place peacefully and there were no clashes with police or military on site; these forces actually distributed water bottles to the demonstrators.
    Two days after the first demonstrations, Qais al-Khazali, head of the League of the Righteous militia group, appeared on television proclaiming his support of the demonstrators. The League of the Righteous is one of a dozen or so unofficial armed groups, made up mostly of local Shiite Muslims, that have played an essential role in fighting against the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq. However the League of the Righteous is also known as one of the more extreme of these groups. And most recently the militia has also become known for its support of, and patronage from, former Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
    On television, al-Khazali announced the creation of civilian units associated with the Shiite Muslim militias. “The demonstrators should set firm goals,” al-Khazali said, “because the problems in Iraq are not only about the Ministry of Electricity. The problems are part of the whole political system.”
    Once again al-Khazali then recommended that Iraq's political system be changed from a parliamentary one to a presidential one. This would in effect give al-Maliki, one of the League of the Righteous' sponsors, more power again; al-Maliki tried to hang onto power after the last elections but was denied by other Iraqi politicians and he has been seen as trying to undermine his successor, current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, ever since.
    Some of the civil society activists who had first organised the popular protests in Baghdad were upset at al-Khazali's statements. They felt he was trying to hijack the protests to push his own agenda and as a result, some said they would boycott the next lot of protests.
    Three days before the second demonstration, which was to take place on August 7, supporters of the League of Righteous in Baghdad began to prepare to take part in the protests.


    “A formal letter from the League’s head office was sent to all of our offices,” Karim al-Lami, one of the militia's members based in the Sadr City neighbourhood in Baghdad, told NIQASH by phone. “The letters emphasised the importance of all members and employees participating. Additionally, al-Lami explains, the letter said that militia members shouldn't carry banners or clothing or badges that indicated they were militia members. “They should only use anti-government and anti-Parliament slogans and condemn the poor services,” al-Lami says.


    A Shi'ite dominant government led by a Shi'ite prime minister spent the last days eliminating the roles of minorities in the government -- roles the Constitution guaranteed.

    The president of Iraq, a Kurd, objected and said what was taking place was unconstitutional.

    We noted that here.

    Surprisingly, western news outlets ignored such criticism.


    Breaking the silence today, Noah Feldman (Bloomberg) offers:

    The problem is that there’s no plan to substitute some new guarantor of national cohesion or at least something less than civil war. With Sunni Arabs largely out of the political picture in Baghdad, and the Kurds satisfied for the moment with their de facto autonomy and gradual expansion, there’s no one to tell the Shiite majority that it better find some way to bring the country together again.
    One possibility is that, at this point, the Shiites just don’t care. The area controlled by Islamic State doesn’t have significant oil reserves. For the moment, the militant group isn’t immediately threatening Baghdad. From the Shiite perspective, the status quo perhaps doesn’t look so bad. A Shiite statelet in the rump of the former Iraq would include Baghdad as well as the Persian Gulf refineries and ports.
    But if Abadi is thinking that he doesn’t need to give Iraqi Sunnis any incentive to take part in a unified Iraq, he’s making a big mistake. Islamic State won’t be satisfied in the long run with a desert enclave. It’ll eventually make a play for Baghdad, with its significant Sunni population. If Baghdad’s Sunnis see no future in a Shiite Iraq, they’ll side with Islamic State when that day comes. That could turn Baghdad into Beirut circa 1975.



    What happens now that Haider has what Nouri always wanted?

    The representation is no longer what it was.  Minority rights are no longer guaranteed.

    Haider is firing people that he really doesn't have the legal right to fire.


    What about when he fires a Cabinet member?

    Because the Constitution specifically forbids this but it's the exact direction that a giddy western press is urging him to move towards.





    Recommended: "Iraq snapshot"

    Tuesday, August 11, 2015

    THIS JUST IN! IT'S NEVER HER FAULT!

    BULLY BOY PRESS &     CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE



    THOUGH SHE TRIED TO CLAIM CREDIT FOR IRAQ WHILE SECRETARY OF STATE, NOW THAT IRAQ'S GONE TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET, CRANKY CLINTON'S THRILLED FOR THE PRESS TO NOTE SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IRAQ.


    SAID CRANKY TO THESE REPORTERS EARLIER TODAY, "NOW IF I COULD JUST FARM OUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR BENGHAZI AS WELL!"





    In Defense of Marxism quotes Iraqi Lamia Fadhil on participating in Iraq's recent wave of protests, "For more than 10 years the government didn’t provide anything for us. No electricity, no services and no jobs. That’s it. We've had enough."


    And the protests, initially hailed as a "warning sign" by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, have had an impact.  Sunday,  Omar al-Jawoshy and Tim Arango (New York Times) reported:


    Facing widespread protests against government corruption and poor services as well as calls for change by Shiite clerics, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday proposed a series of drastic reforms that could be a turning point in the dysfunctional politics of Iraq that have persisted since the U.S. invasion in 2003.
    Al-Abadi’s proposals, which came as the war against Islamic State group extremists has stalled in western Anbar province, were wide ranging. They included the elimination of three vice-presidency positions, largely ceremonial jobs that come with expensive perks, and the end of sectarian and party quotas that have dominated the appointments of top officials.



    Al Bawaba reports:
    Iraq’s Council of Ministers on Sunday approved a package of reforms proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ostensibly aimed at improving public services and rooting out widespread corruption.
    It does away with the positions of vice-president and deputy prime minister, among other things.

    The move comes following two weeks of countrywide demonstrations to protest government corruption and demand improved public services.



    Per In Defense of Marxism, this is the seven-point plan Haider is proposing:


    “1) Complete & instant waning of security personnel for ALL high officials, & redirecting all security personnel to the Ministry of Defense to be trained & defend the country on the forefront.
    2) Rescinding all exclusivity (in terms of treatment, priority, etc.) allocated to high government positions, including retired personnel.
    3) A ban on the application of a quota system on high positions in Ministries, Independent Commissions, advisors, etc. The PM will form a committee to oversee the sacking of unqualified personnel, and their replacement on the basis of merit.
    4) Condensing ministries and institutions to raise qualification & efficiency standards, as well as cost reduction.
    5) Dissolving the positions of Deputies to the President, and to the Prime Minister immediately.
    6) Revisiting old and current corruption cases under the supervision of a High Commission to fight corruption, comprised of experts, as well as appointing judges to oversee these cases known for their untainted integrity.
    7) A call to the Cabinet of Ministers, then Parliament, to approve these measures, in order for the Prime Minister to respond to the people’s demands made through the Marja’iya or High Religious Establishment’s [in Najaf].”



    Though the Cabinet approves, they do not have the last word and, today in Iraq, Haider's proposals were debated.   All Iraq News notes Speaker of Parliament Saleem al-Jobouri states that the "reforms are good but not enough."  AFP reports the Speaker is calling on Haider to fire various ministers and an unnamed source tells AFP the list includes, among others, the Minister of Electricity.  In an update, AFP also notes, "Juburi also called for MPs who are absent for more than a third of the time to be removed."


    Meanwhile, Iraq Times reports that former prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki is smiling  publicly at the reforms but working behind the scenes to dismiss Haider al-Abadi from the Dawa political party.  There is also talk that Nouri may be attempting to leave Iraq and there may be an order in place to prevent him from flying out of Baghdad International Airport.

    The possible escape is floated as Iraqis demand accountability for the eight years Nouri was prime minister, for the eight years of no improvements in public services while the billions disappeared, the lack of electricity while Nouri's previously unemployed son purchased properties throughout Europe including in London, the lack of potable water while Nouri's previously unemployed son stocked up on expensive cars.  Protesters have noted that Nouri presided over 130 billion dollars during his tenure from 2006 through 2014 and they want to know where the money went?

    There are rumors that Haider al-Abadi has a list of figures who will be charged with corruption and that Nouri al-Maliki is on that list.


    Were Nouri to attempt to leave Baghad and be stopped at the airport that would be fitting since he steered the nation into chaos by persecuting Sunnis including Sunnis politicians and, as soon as the bulk of US troops pulled out of Iraq in December 2011, he was stopping Sunni politicians Tareq al-Hashemi (Vice President of Iraq) and Saleh al-Mutlaq (Deputy Prime Minister) as they attempted to visit the Kurdistan Regional Government.

    Alsumaria reports Nouri is again likening peaceful protesters to terrorists and insisting that the demonstrators must be supervised and controlled by security forces because they will likely turn to violence.

    All Iraq News quotes Deputy Prime Minister Bahaa al-Araji declaring today, "I will put all those who accused me of corruption under my foot."  He's going to need a really big foot.

    Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed, Stephen Kalin and Robin Pomeroy (Reuters) report al-Araji "resigned on Monday and will be investigated for corruption, officials said, the first tangible result of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's push to tackle corruption in the face of mounting unrest."  al-Araji has been an elected member of Parliament since 2006 and is part of Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc in Parliament.

    Iraq Times reports that al-Araji, in his resignation letter, stated he was resigning at the request of Moqtada while Al Mada states that the travel ban imposed on al-Araji was put in place by Moqtada.  In addition,  Alsumaria notes that Moqtada is calling for protests if the reforms are not implemented.

    Iraq Times quotes Vice President Ayad Allawi stating that he has had his resignation ready for the last four months and that he believes early elections are the only answer.

    Iraq is due to hold Parliamentary elections in 2018.  Early elections, if Iraq moved on this today, would most likely take at least six months (more based on past history) which would mean they would be held in early 2016.


    Apparently Brookings is no longer in the business of analysis.

    Instead, they've branched out into the field of gushing as evidenced by Luay al-Khatteeb's latest nonsense which includes:

    Abadi's announcement on the 9th of August to institute a series of unprecedented reforms including the cancellation of some of the most senior positions in Iraq's Federal system, in a bid to end the sectarian quota-system, marks a potential watershed in Iraq's political history and its future.
    If Abadi's gamble pays off, the 9th of August 2015 may in hindsight be remembered as a momentous day in Iraq's history, to outweigh the eventful regime change of the 9th of April 2003.


    In hindsight this might be momentous!


    Keep it in your pants, Luay, no one wants to see it.






    RECOMMENDED:  "Iraq snapshot"
    "Iraq"









  • Sunday, August 09, 2015

    THIS JUST IN! SHE'LL ALWAYS HAVE CHERYL!

    BULLY BOY PRESS &     CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE


    REACHED FOR COMMENT, CHERYL INSISTS THEY ARE NOT WORK RELATED AND FEATURE PHOTOS OF CRANKY TOPLESS WITH TASSLES AS WELL AS IN VARIOUS BONDAGE OUTFITS.

    "IT'S THE CRANKY I KNEW," CHERYL INSISTS, "THE ONE I KNEW REALLY, REALLY WELL.  AND I WILL DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT HER."




    Moving over to activism, protests continue in Iraq.  As with last weekend, protests continued.  Friday, Alsumaria reported that Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr issued   instructions Thursday for his followers which included that they take part in peaceful actions and not damage private property, that they not wear military uniforms while protesting and that they not carry  photos/placards/banners with photos of any political or religious official.




  • In the image above, the top right is Moqtada al-Sadr and below him is Ammar al-Hakim.  Ammar is the leader of the Islamic Supreme Council in Iraq.  If he's now supporting the protesters, that would be a big switch from his remarks earlier this week.


    From Thursday:


    Last weekend saw protests across Iraq.  Abdul Latif al-Saadoun (MEM) observes today:


    "If we cannot provide enough electric power for the Iraqis, why don't the families buy private generators?" asked an Iraqi official during a recent press interview. It was similar to the quotation misattributed to French Queen Marie Antoinette two hundred years ago; if the people don't have bread, "Then let them eat cake."
    Again, like the French, the Iraqis revolted by igniting the uprising in Basra. This spread around the country and this time the Iraqi leaders could not blame the Yazidis, which they had done in the past when there was activity in Iraq's western cities. Those who gathered in Iraq's Tahrir and other Squares did not belong to a specific sect, race or party. They gathered as Iraqis and expressed their anger at their rulers who have subjected them to decades of failure, with neither justice nor anything as mundane as new building projects. Instead, the leaders conspired in the name of religion to loot the country's wealth and used its resources to satisfy their evil desires and feed their obsession for money and power.


    al-Saadoun goes on to note how the Iraqi government went on to blame the Islamic State with Ammar al-Hakim (leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) insisting that the protesters themselves were members of the Islamic State.  How very sad events have been for al-Hakim.  His relationship with the US has soured.  He's not moved forward or higher in the political hierarchy of Iraq.  And now he's attacking the people in a manner that recalls Nouri al-Maliki's ridiculous attacks on the protesters.



    So if Ammar is now supporting the protesters, that would actually be major news.

    Regardless of whether Ammar supports them or not, the protesters were out in full force:






























  • The protests address corruption and lack of services.


    For massive protests, there had to be that and more.  The more for many Sunnis include the continued targeting of the Sunni population.



















  • Nothing has changed under Haider's leadership.

    He is, thus far, an abject failure.





    RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"