Iraq: So What The Hell Happens Now?!?

Iraq: So What The Hell Happens Now?!?

..besides "Boom!
...Bang-Bang! FPHLOOOOOM!
.....Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
..........Kerflowwwwwwwie!"??

Iraq: Now What??


• Change cannot be force-fed, Suter
• Iraq Elections: What's Next?, CAP
• Iraq: Post-Election Challenges, Harvey+Legum+Baskin
• Iraq elections set stage for deeper crisis of US occupation regime, Martin
• Iraq Leader's Uncertain Future, McGeough
• So, who really did win in Iraq?, Erikson
• Why the US will not leave Iraq, Escobar
• Elections Can be Start of Democracy or Violence, Dionne Jr.
• The Election is Only the Beginning, Cohen

• Democracy won, but do Americans care?, Mitchell-Salem

"..unless Americans buy into Bush's rhetoric for years to come, his experiment with democracy will fail..[..]..Realistically, American forces will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future. Will there be American military bases in Iraq? Absolutely. Bush is not spending $300 billion to ensure that in 10 years' time the largest U.S. presence in Iraq will be that of the Baghdad embassy. Lip service is being paid to the idea of a sovereign Iraqi government dictating if and when the U.S. leaves. But should the Iraqis come to believe that, American officials are likely to yank them back into reality. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pointed out during an interview on Sunday: "America responded out of national interest, not just the interest of the region"...Bush's democratic vision, more pragmatically defined."

• U.S. is obligated to foster a genuinely independent Iraq for all Iraqis, ds ed
• Upbeat about election, Iran hopes Iraq occupation ends soon , staff
• Iraq election: Another false dawn, Editorial, The Hindu
• It's not the vote that counts, Shahzad
• Analysis: The uncertainties of Iraq, sieff
• Low voter turnout by Sunnis fuels fear of more civil strife in Iraq, lasseter
• Al Qaeda vows to prolong `holy war', Star
• Horse-Trading Begins on Shape of Iraqi Govt, Parker, afp

• Turkey warns Kurds, don't stir up Kikurk, Yusuf Kanli

"The foreign minister was careful in underlining that Turkey has no intention of intervening in Iraq but cautioned at the same time that should the Kurdish factions persist with their campaign of changing the demographic composition of Kirkuk, an ethnic confrontation could become unavoidable and could create strong sentiments among Turks that could force the government to resort to an action it would not have otherwise considered."

• Not exactly reassuring: Ankara, frustrated with U.S. ignorance, gets reassurance from outgoing DoD Undersecretary Feith, Yusuf Kanli

"..outgoing U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, considered to be an architect of the Iraq war, reassured Turkey Monday, making clear Washington still opposed Kurdish separatism."It is crucial that Iraq's territorial integrity [is] preserved," he told reporters, adding that it was for all Iraqis, not one ethnic group, to decide Kirkuk's fate. That was the message Ankara had expected to hear from Washington for so long. What's unfortunate is that those strong words, which could have eased Turkey's worries, have come from a lame-duck American undersecretary of defense who will return to Washington to pack up his office."

• Saudi Prince Walid Ibn On Iraq and America's plans for democracy in the ME, ds
• America's Beachhead Rattles Local Monarchs, McGeough
• The Vietnam turnout was good as well , Ramadani

• Election euphoria unlikely to trigger a democratic domino effect , Tisdall

"Egyptians genuinely feel ideological outrage about the US invasion of Iraq. They see it as a neo-imperial exercise. The elections can't be used as an example because they are too tarnished by America's touch."

• Fig-leaf freedom , Whitaker
• Doubts cast on Allawi's vow to unite the country, Cockburn
• Straw says withdrawal of UK troops would be irresponsible, Grice
• British troops must now prepare to leave Iraq, Kennedy


*Hats off to BushWatch.com for headlines

NeoCons Want More War, More Young Flesh to Die for Their Insanity

NeoCons Want More War, More Young Flesh to Die for Their Insanity

Buzzflash poses a question and I think we all know the answer.
None dare speak the answer, mind you. But we know the answer.

Says Buzzflash:

The Neocon Petri Dish, PNAC, Calls for Increased Troop Strengths. So, Exactly How Do They Think This Will Happen without a Draft? Just Asking.

Mothers and Fathers of America:
The NeoCons want your children to fight and to lose their lives for more of their Utopian ideals. Their ideas, too impulsively put into dreadful practice by the Bush administration, have made the world a far less safe place.

Iraq will not be enough to sate these crusading monsters.

How far will you allow them to go before you speak out?
How many of you will have to stand over the graves of your children before you are awakened to the truth?

Iraq: Many Conservatives Losing Heart

Iraq: Many Conservatives Losing Heart

Read A Vote for Chaos by Christopher Preble of the CATO Institute. His current statement is fairly consistent with statements he made in 2003.

Trust in the sanity of the Bush foreign policy is fading among conservative Americans who are intelligently skeptical and concerned about the realities on the ground. The President's recent inaugural address did little to set aside growing concerns.

Once again, Christopher Preble of the CATO Institute:

"We are heroes in error," Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress declared in February 2004. "What was said before is not important." In other words, the lies he foisted on the American public did not matter to him, because he achieved his goal: the removal of Saddam Hussein from power.

We can now expect similar figures to step forward elsewhere. They will profess to know the deeply felt desires of nearly 70 million Iranians clamoring for U.S. assistance. The Reform Party of Syria regularly flogs the government of Bashar Assad as a suitable target.

In this environment it is nearly impossible to differentiate honest patriots from duplicitous charlatans. By declaring to "democratic reformers" that "America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country," Bush has placed U.S. foreign policy at the mercy of others who will do anything to draw America into their schemes for power."

From: "W's Put U.S. Way Out on a Limb"

Voices against the way Bush has handled the mess in Iraq are coming from unexpected places.