BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE
REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, CRANKY CLINTON DID NOT DENY HIS PROMISE BUT SAID "THAT'S JUST WHAT THEY SAY. I MEAN, I WAS COURTING MIDDLE AGED VOTERS TODAY AND MET WITH MONICA LEWINSKY. I SAID, 'MONS, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO SECURE YOUR VOTE? I'LL LET YOU GIVE ME HEAD. I'LL STAIN YOUR BLUE DRESS. ANYTHING.' AND YOU KNOW I HATE HER. AND YOU KNOW I WOULDN'T KEEP MY WORD BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, I AM CRANKY CLINTON. BUT, YES, I WILL SAY ANYTHING TO GET HER VOTE. HER VOTE OR ANYONE ELSE'S VOTE. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. I LIE, YOU VOTE FOR ME, AND THEN I FORGET YOU."
These bombings have gone on every day since August 2014.
And nothing's changed in Iraq.
Doubt it?
Here's Jan Kubis speaking to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday:
Persistent political polarization and divisions continue to hamper Prime Minister Abadi’s ability to advance the reform agenda, including in decentralisation and fighting corruption. The Prime Minister’s recent announcement aimed at establishing a more professional Cabinet with members selected on merit, and not on sectarian or political quotas, should be accompanied by accelerated implementation of a genuine political, security and economic reform package. The complex and deepening set of challenges before the country and its people requires that the political blocks finally work together in support of comprehensive and profound reforms, as they did when adopting the budget for 2016.
Iraq’s persistent and rapidly-deepening fiscal crisis and growing budget deficit, compounded by the security and humanitarian situation and drastic decline in global oil prices, has almost halved the State’s planned income since then, and the Kurdistan Region faces at least a situation as grave as that of Baghdad. Fiscal challenges are also likely to impact the fight against ISIL as a significant number of fighters, notably the Peshmerga, have not received salaries for several months.
I am mindful that if left unaddressed, such an unsustainable situation may seriously undermine the renewed morale of pro-government forces and confidence of the people, including youth, communities, minorities and IDPs that they can have a future in Iraq. And while the Governments in Baghdad and Erbil must rapidly prioritise and take full ownership over the state finances and reforms, I urge the international community to assist Iraq in overcoming these difficulties through increased technical support and funding, including through lending by international and regional financial institutions. Genuine economic reforms by the Governments in Baghdad and Erbil could pave the way to such financial and budgetary support.
Kubis is the special envoy to Iraq for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
He was noting the lack of progress on a political solution, the inability the Iraqi government has with any efforts towards political reconciliation.
Nothing has changed.
US President Barack Obama ordered the daily bombings of Iraq in August of 2014.
Months before that, June 19, 2014, he acknowledged the need for a political solution in Iraq.
US President Barack Obama: Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq’s future. Shia, Sunni, Kurds -- all Iraqis -- must have confidence that they can advance their interests and aspirations through the political process rather than through violence. National unity meetings have to go forward to build consensus across Iraq’s different communities. Now that the results of Iraq’s recent election has been certified, a new parliament should convene as soon as possible. The formation of a new government will be an opportunity to begin a genuine dialogue and forge a government that represents the legitimate interests of all Iraqis.
Now, it’s not the place for the United States to choose Iraq’s leaders. It is clear, though, that only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda are going to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together and help them through this crisis. Meanwhile, the United States will not pursue military options that support one sect inside of Iraq at the expense of another. There’s no military solution inside of Iraq, certainly not one that is led by the United States. But there is an urgent need for an inclusive political process, a more capable Iraqi security force, and counterterrorism efforts that deny groups like ISIL a safe haven.
Not getting it?
Here he is still speaking on June 19, 2014:
But I don’t think there’s any secret that right now at least there is deep divisions between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish leaders. And as long as those deep divisions continue or worsen, it’s going to be very hard for an Iraqi central government to direct an Iraqi military to deal with these threats.
And so we’ve consulted with Prime Minister Maliki, and we’ve said that to him privately. We’ve said it publicly that whether he is prime minister, or any other leader aspires to lead the country, that it has to be an agenda in which Sunni, Shia and Kurd all feel that they have the opportunity to advance their interests through the political process. And we’ve seen over the last two years, actually dating back to 2008, 2009 -- but I think worse over the last two years -- the sense among Sunnis that their interests were not being served, that legislation that had been promised around, for example, De-Ba’athification had been stalled.
I think that you hear similar complaints that the government in Baghdad has not sufficiently reached out to some of the tribes and been able to bring them in to a process that gives them a sense of being part of a unity government or a single nation-state. And that has to be worked through.
Nothing changes.
The wedge is still the same, the Sunnis are still persecuted.
Haider al-Abadi's done nothing to address that persecution.
Last week, Tim Arango (NEW YORK TIMES) reported:
When Iraqi ground forces and American aircraft began assaulting the city of Ramadi more than a month ago, Ghusoon Muhammed and her family fled to the government’s front line, as did many other Sunni Arab families who had been trapped for months. Soldiers sent her and the children one way, and her husband another, to be interrogated in a detention facility.
She has not seen him or heard from him since. She and her children, who will most likely not be able to go home to Ramadi for months given the destruction, have been left to wait in a ramshackle tent camp here in Anbar Province. She is desperate, and adamant: "The innocent people in jail need to be released!" she said.
Standing nearby on Sunday was another woman, Karima Nouri. Her son an auto mechanic, was also taken away by the authorities, and she has had no word about him for weeks. Ms. Nouri said the government considered civilians who remained in Ramadi to be sympathizers of the Islamic State.
Are we forgetting that one of the many complaints of the protesters was the disappearance of loved ones, seized by the Iraqi forces and vanished into no one knew where? For that matter, the seizing of loved ones for no valid reason to begin with.
RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
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