At small gatherings and inside old cafes the betting runs high ... will the Parliament buckle under the pressure??
How unseemly for the government of a sovereign state - and its Parliament to be pressured into making ...of all things ... amendments to its own constitution ... by a foreign force!
It may have been understandable had the pressure been put on to urge the government to pick up its pace in providing adequate security in the country enabling the US to withdraw its forces gradually . That is something I can understand, and in fact would cheer on, and the US would have been within its rights.
But constitutional amendments?
Oil and Gas Law??
Debathification???
What is it to the US what identity the Iraqis wish to give their country? Whether "Arab State" - straight out, or "An entity active in its Arab and Muslim environment"?? Meaning no defined identity? Why is it so important to the US Admin?
And what of debathification?? After laying off thousands of absolutely competent employees, whether technical or administrative, for no other reason that they were obliged to write their names on Bathi lists simply to be able to obtain employment; the whole administrative structure of the government collapsed. So now what?? We haven't got any competent administrators or technicians to run the new show. Do we rehire the old ones?? What the hell! Why was it so important to Mr. Bremer to oust all competent professionals from our Gov. structure? Wouldn't it have been more prudent to keep everyone in place then pick out the rotten apples at our leisure ... with no collapse at all? Now to amend.
As for the Oil and Gas Law....... my heart aches for the thousands of lives that were intentionally put in jeoppardy for the black gold. What a curse!
And now the pressure is on. The Iraqi Gov has succumbed. Will the Iraqi Parliament succumb also??
The scene is so clear for all those with the wish to see clearly. How transparent can you get??
James, you make some very good points, however we also have electricity, clean water, petrol and plenty of food in the US. We have to count our blessings. I wish everyone in Iraq could just come to my house.
Posted by: ljm | June 22, 2007 at 11:33 PM
Iraq has gone from being a "cakewalk" to a souffle that exploded all over the oven.
I feel such pain for the majority of Iraqi citizens who simply want to get on with their lives and not have to worry about IEDs, being yanked from their car and being shot in broad daylight, of armed militias roaming the countryside and foreign troops everywhere.
I almost choke every time I head a Washington politico or pundit pin the blame on the mess in Iraq on the Iraqi's themselves. Right! As if they invited in the Americans and gave them free reign to sabotage their country, their institutions, their homes.
Hopefully, the next US president will re-join the International Criminal Court so Pres. Bush, Vice Pres. Cheney, Alberto Gonzales, John Yoo, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and the others responsible for the bloodshed can be brought to trial on war crimes charges.
Be brave, friend. Except for the violence, the situation in the US is not much better.
Posted by: James Charles | June 22, 2007 at 03:01 PM
If you would like a copy of the Iraqi Hydrocarbon Law write me at:
randyiraqioil@yahoo.com
and I will send you a copy.
Although the Law briefly discusses distribution of oil money to various groups its mostly about assigning Iraq's oil wealth to foreign oil interests.
Randy
Posted by: RandyR | June 22, 2007 at 01:28 PM
Too true. Bogus--and repeatedly changing--reasons for an invasion. Complete devastation of the country's infrastructure...and now pressure to sign oil rights over to 4 (count 'em folks, FOUR) oil companies for fifty years. FIFTY years. Meanwhile sanctimoniously observing that this is all about the Iraqis learning to share (their profits with each other).
If it's any consolation, dear Iraqis, Bush doesn't obey/respect the U.S. constitution, either. He and his band of brutes are above all laws.
I live for the day when he and others at the top of that dung heap are called to answer for their crimes against humanity at the Hague.
Posted by: Laura | June 22, 2007 at 12:30 PM