Iraq National Security Advisor: The "Government Is At A Stalemate"

Washington Post:

Iraq's government is at a stalemate. As in the United States, there is much discussion here of the need for political reconciliation. What does that mean? That the majority Shiites and the minority Sunnis and Kurds must find a way to govern collectively at the national level. As national security adviser to the head of Iraq's governments since March 2004, I have participated in the development of democracy in my country. I strongly support the government and applaud its achievements. But I understand that the political objectives of Iraq's three main communities are unrealizable within the framework of a unitary, centralized state.

It has been impossible to maintain a political consensus on many important issues. For one thing, the U.S.-dominated coalition, which has its own objectives, must be accommodated. The regional "superpowers" (Iran and Saudi Arabia) meddle in Iraq's affairs, and their own sectarian tensions are reflected in the violence here. The absence of truly national political parties and leadership that reach the Iraqi people exacerbates the problem.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[unclejim]

arianna and mathews are sellin' you a bill o goods
a black man cain't win
...back to 8 more years of bull from the rich
.
.
.
VOTE DEMOCRAT BABY !

[LorettaSingbiel]

"the political objectives of Iraq's three main communities are unrealizable within the framework of a unitary, centralized state."

But the SCOURGE (I mean SURGE) is working!

America The Great is on the take, once again.

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

[ajax2]

Perhaps some more money would help?

[Coyote2]

Not allowed to post, perhaps now my opinion can be posted?

Irony: It is time for America to fess up. The White House has forever been the purveyor of WHITE MALES , and usually Old White Males. And not even a suggestion of color. WHITE.

It indeed is the WHITEY HOUSE

This was a joke made without the proper context that recognizes that only the Democrats have the balls to face Racism and Sexism in America, while the obsolete woolly mammoth party of America is still stuck in OLD WHITE MALE mode.

(why would this opinion be banned at Huffington Post?)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/17/racist-obama-jokes-leaves_n_81938.html?load=1&page=5#comments

[Nochnoi]

It is funny to see lurking vulture and others puff their chests out and talk smack about regular posters here when the regulars are not around...

Shows your excessively immature nature...

[Coyote2]

HumeSkeptic having a meltdown concerning bin Laden's son, Omar Osama bin Laden:

HumeSkeptic posted: "Oh! God. What am I going to do now that I am stupid in the Great Coyote's book. Suicide might be my only option."
.

Completely unable to post an argument in spite of the PHILOSOPHICAL names and terminology he incorporates into his moniker. Too drunk to post an argument. A total meltdown. A philosophical wannabe and failure.

Poor Hume. Can't argue: needs to resort to the innuendo and the stupid putdowns of the trolls.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/17/bin-laden-son-wants-to-be_n_82049.html?refresh_comments=1

[Coyote2]

ErnestineBass Posted; "The south ran out of artillery and will. It'll eventually happen to us in Iraq."

.

A Brief History of the United States of America:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F55cEoRilVI&NR=1

[ChiGuy]

O.T. but.........

Mitt on Leno

Surgeons were needed to remove Jay's lips from the Republican's: ass immediately after taping.

[Danny]

Yawn.

[HumeSkeptic]

Huckabee gave speech to white supremacists
Max Blumenthal
Published: Friday January 18, 2008

As South Carolina's Republican primary election draws nearer, Mike Huckabee has ratcheted up his appeals to the racial nationalism of white evangelicals. "You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," the former Arkansas governor told a Myrtle Beach crowd on January 17, referring to the Confederate flag. "If somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole. That's what we'd do."

...
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Huckabee_gave_speech_to_white_supremacists_0118.html


---------------

Surprise!

[Indyfromny]

I just watched Kevin sevens paste.
I dont know about you but I have celebration planned for 1/20/09.

Fireworks, fine wine and basic hell raising.

[csavage]

Good God!
Turkey will NEVER stand for an independent Kurdistan. They've already invaded once so far, wanting to kill "terrorists"-a handy term to throw down to justify any atrocity-THANK YOU, dubya!
Everyone non-Shiite in the Muslim word thinks the Shiites are heretics...and, since Islam as a religion is about where Catholicism was 1000 years ago, I can't see how dividing Iraq into regions by religion is going to make it. Better to come clean, say it's all about the oil, install a provisional government run by the military, and suck the country dry. The rest of the world has already figured it out anyway....
Before I get lynched, I don't agree philosophically with my last statement but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than pumping more untold millions to Halliburton to reconstruct a country that has no chance of succeeding....

[kevenseven]

I will be posting this on a regular basis without apology. The senate is soon to be considering the renewal of the FISA bill and Telecom Immunity.

Be without a doubt: the purpose of Telecom Immunity is to frustrate the discovery process implicit in the forty some lawsuits being lodged against the telcos, thus shielding Bush from the evidence of his crimes that would inevitably come out

The list of villains in this is long and depressing. Jay Rockefeller is certainly the first among equals. Reid is rotten to the core. Feinstein is an embarrassment, and for some reason Sheldon Whitehouse is not on the side of the angels.

Meanwhile, all three of our candidates are strangely silent.

Dodd appears prepared to continue his fight, but he needs our help. And this likely will be back at the house, so you may need to turn your attention there soon.

A full and brilliant analysis of this is at Salon, Glen Greenwald at his best, and very current.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/17/telecoms/index.html

Very much worth your time. Please act.

[zephyrus]

Nyland----check this out from The BRAD BLOG:

Daily Kos Readers Reject Daily Kos Founder, Front-Page Diarists, According to Online Reader Poll

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5570

Arianna gets a lot of guff for her site, but unless you're really out of line you can express an opinion. Me, I appreciate different ideas and perspectives.....

[HumeSkeptic]

Here's some more interesting news from Pakistan and Aghanistan:

(1) NATO hears 'noise before defeat'
by M K Bhadrakumar
"US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' extraordinary attack on North Atlantic Treaty Organization efforts in Afghanistan - "they need to do a better job" - highlights Washington's frustration at what is no longer a winnable war against the Taliban. Enter Britain's Lord Ashdown as the United Nations' super envoy to Kabul. The White House reposes confidence in him; he takes counseling and directions from London, which coordinates with Riyadh and Islamabad, and he understands the heart of the problem: Pashtun alienation."


(2)Talking to the wrong people
by Syed Saleem Shahzad

"Beyond dropping bombs, British efforts in Afghanistan have revolved around courting the Taliban, but without their leader Mullah Omar and any al-Qaeda-linked elements. The approach - opposed by the United States - has yielded few results, and serves as an object lesson for the new United Nations envoy to Kabul, Lord Ashdown."

-------------------

Both are excellent articles and can be found at http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page.html

The second of the two article implies (speculates?) that Lord Ashdown, the United Nations Envoy, may soon be forced to negotiate with, GUESS WHO?

Mullah Omar.

Remember the one-eyed Mullah of Afghanistan who we tried ti kill many times during our initial attack on Afghanistan?

Funny! We now must negotiate with good old Mullah Omar.