Iraq Makes Slow Progress On Meeting U.S. Targets »
Posted by: TimALoftis 1 year, 1 month ago90 CommentsReflectReport this Story
"Slow as a turtle" was how one Iraqi lawmaker on Tuesday described Iraq's faltering progress in meeting political benchmarks set by Washington to encourage national reconciliation and end sectarian violence.
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Comments So Far: 90
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time4change1 year, 1 month ago
Why should they hurry ?? Bush will send more $$$ and more $$$ to buy them....and they'll take long vacations (just like Bush) rather than make progress in meeting the benchmarks.........Maliki and the current govt are puppets....they will never be perceived as anything else....incompetent....Bring our troops home now !!
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Neophile1 year, 1 month ago
Iraq's parliament just passed a resolution that could end the U.S. occupation by the end of the year:
http://www.alternet.org/story/53230/
This is just after a majority of their lawmakers signed a resolution that demands that all foreign troops withdraw:
http://www.alternet.org/story/51624/
They're asking the U.S. to leave.
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Neophile1 year, 1 month ago
This comes just a couple weeks after Bush said:
"We are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government. This is a sovereign nation. Twelve million people went to the polls to approve a constitution. It's their government's choice. If they were to say, leave, we would leave."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05...
Despite them having asked several times in the past:
http://www.aolelectionsblog.com/2007/05/24/if-i...
And now there are rumblings of a permanent U.S. presence, which would be against the wishes of Iraqi government (a.k.a. a permanent occupation):
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0612/p01s01-woiq....
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ryan6011 year, 1 month ago
Good articles, Neophile. Thanks for the links.
From the CSM article:
"That reasoning assumes that a long-term US presence will aid in Iraq's stability and development â;; something not everyone agrees can be assumed.
"We are going to have to be in Iraq for a number of years still, but to talk in terms of a number of decades is not helpful," says Brookings' O'Hanlon. "Despite our best efforts, we have been part of the reason for the turmoil in Iraq. We should not presuppose that our long-term presence will be beneficial." "
I think that just about sums it up right there.
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ABANOCLA1 year, 1 month ago
Another article on here stated that Hillary Clinton said some troops would be in Iraq till the end of her second term as president, 10 yrs. Like that is going to happen, her second term or a 1st for that matter. The troops may be a different story tho. I hope they come home when the time is right, whenever that is.
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jaern1 year, 1 month ago
How long will it take for him to say, "We're staying because they don't know what they're asking or doing."?
They don't want to leave with their twisted perception that if they leave now it will be 'egg on their face'. Remember, they value their own appearance over the the lives of thousands of US troops.
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foksipayne1 year, 1 month ago
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saintetienne1 year, 1 month ago
Have you been to Iraq and have you spoken to the people there, foksipain-in-the-as*, or do you just know everything? Oh, I get it. You watch CNN, log on to Nutscape, and now you have all the answers.
Well, I've been to Iraq and I've been to Pakistan. Most of the civilians I spoke to in both countries admire Americans and the United States, and in the case of Iraq, are grateful for our intervention of Saddam's government and for our continued presence in the region. Most people, believe it or not, are NOT hateful, fanatic Muslims. Like anyone else, they just want to have a chance to raise their families in peace, and aspire to some of the same things that we have come to take for granted in this country.
Having experienced that region of the world and the people in them, it only makes me more grateful to be an American, to be safe, and to be free. You don't even begin to understand how good we have it until you spend time in other places.
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injest1 year, 1 month ago
Neophile
More than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected for the first time on Tuesday the continuing occupation of their country. The U.S. media ignored the story
;On Tuesday, without note in the U.S. media, ; That would be CNN, CBS, ABC, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NYT, WaPo but why not on international news sources like
BBC, AP, UPI, REUTERS ?
In the Internet age no legitimate news story could be blocked by ;US media;
This story has the markings of pure propaganda. Do the Netscape anchors give the slightest effort to verify a story as true or even plausible? Before posting it?
I noticed that this sight is hawking T-shirts with the names of 3,155 fallen U.S. troops, without PERMISSION from the families. Pure exploitation for profit nothing more.
Sorry but this sight and sources are highly suspect . It garners ;O; (Zero) respect, as does anyone who would reference it.
So sad,
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dandt16121 year, 1 month ago
So if the new Iraqi government is wanting us to leave. Then why is bush keeping us over there? Hmmmm Could it be OIL? Just a thought.
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saintetienne1 year, 1 month ago
Oh dandt, please..... don't be so sanctimonious.
Do YOU use oil, and oil-based products? Of course you do. And even if you don't (highly doubtful), you certainly rely on businesses and services that do.
In order to satiate YOUR appetite for oil and oil-based products, the United States needs to protect its interests in the Middle East. And a large part of that protection means stabilizing and maintaining a presence in Iraq, since their volatile and incompetent leadership over the last 30 years can't seem to do it on their own.
If we pull our troops and our interests out now, you can wave goodbye to $3.31 per gallon of gas, and say hello to $10.67 per gallon of gas. And that coffee slurpee in the plastic cup you like to suck out of will triple in price, too.
Don't like it? Use the subway or take a bus to work.
Can't do it? Don't want to do it? Then keep your mouth shut and be grateful you even have a choice.
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RedSoxGirl1 year, 1 month ago
I absolutely agree with you saintetienne.
It amazes me how so many complain about the United States oil interests in the world and do not realize that it is a important commodity that we must protect.
The United Stated has asked nothing from the common citizen to sacrifice in this war and you still have a society bent on complaining.
I would be willing to bet that if those gas prices did reach 10.67 per gallon those same people complaining now would be screaming for our government to do something about it. In fact, I know they would.
We have become a society that truly understands no forms of personal sacrifice and are completely obsessed with oneself.
If gas prices do skyrocket, my only hope is that it would teach some of these blind people out there a valuable lesson. You don't appreciate something until it is gone.
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ABANOCLA1 year, 1 month ago
We have been there 4 yrs.I would think if all we wanted was Iraqs oil, we would have it by now.Wouldn't be wasting time building schools and whatever else they are doing, we would be lining up tanker after tanker and bringing the spoils of war home to the docks.I will also say, that IMHO we took out saddam for a couple of reasons, and one being that he wanted to change the currency in which oil is traded to euros I believe, and for some reason that I don't understand, that is one reason the USA has had quite cheap gas compared to that of Europe for a very long time, and I do realize a majority of europe taxes the hell outta fuel and most everything else...but that isn't the entirety of the cost variation of fuel between them and us.....anyone know why traded in dollars gave us a lower price for so long? I am curious. thnx
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jrmunro1 year, 1 month ago
saint
In order to satiate YOUR appetite for oil and oil-based products, the United States needs to protect its interests in the Middle East. And a large part of that protection means stabilizing and maintaining a presence in Iraq, since their volatile and incompetent leadership over the last 30 years can't seem to do it on their own.
The oil in Iraq belongs to them not the us. Why can`t you get that through your f`n skull.
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OnlyTheTruth1 year, 1 month ago
Time to give them a time certain for the ARI to take over. Since they out-number the dead-enders 100-to-1 they should have no problem.
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joeblowe1 year, 1 month ago
If Iraq invites us to leave, then we will absolutely be in violation of our own Constitution. Since we WON the war against Iraq, we don't really have any Congressional authority to be there now, but it can at least be argued that we are there assisting the new government at their request. If that goes away, we had better go away too.
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ABANOCLA1 year, 1 month ago
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HMMace1 year, 1 month ago
The Iraqis are making slow progress because there are more iraqis working against us than with us. We should leave that country immediately..Then we should--NEVER RE ELECT ANY POLITICIN--EVER..
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foksipayne1 year, 1 month ago
First their people are telling us to leave, and now the higher ups are telling us to leave. We need, now, to leave. If that makes their situation worse then it's on them not us. As for the slow progress, that is on us because we are still there.
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amerettoice1 year, 1 month ago
well, history shows, they cannot govern themselves, they cannot agree on anything, they constantly batle among the different groups, there is no unity in the nation..they have always been lead by the nose (husssien). so now we step in, take the booger out of their nose, dress 'em up, teach then to stand, show them how to walk in the big world, let them take the first steps alone and sure they are going to be slow.. they lack confidence... and untill they achieve that it will be a slow painfull process...also all the while they are trying to walk there are those snakes in the grass that are biting at their feet.... they must learn not to step around the snakes but to stomp on their heads and kill the snakes, then take another step... pray for these misguided people... its their only hope
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RedstateLib1 year, 1 month ago
"well, history shows, they cannot govern themselves, they cannot agree on anything, they constantly batle among the different groups..."
Yes yes it was the same thing after the French helped liberate us from the despot King George. Thank God, they kept soldiers here to help us form a government and learn how to stand on our own.
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Daylight1 year, 1 month ago
amerettoice
well, history shows, they cannot govern themselves, they cannot agree on anything, they constantly batle among the different groups, there is no unity in the nation..they have always been lead by the nose (husssien).
No, its not true, they ruled the world for thousand years including part of Europe, without them you have no civilization, educate yourself. Don't speak through your hat.
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PilotSmall1 year, 1 month ago
There is no point is the Iraquis meeting our bench marks since we do nothing about it except set more unatainable bench marks!
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bongy3371 year, 1 month ago
Here is YOUR tax dollars being spent wisely in Iraq. We sure do love our soldiers,
don't we, Mr Bush et al...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJlJudDtVE
Bring my sons and daughters home NOW!!!!!
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foksipayne1 year, 1 month ago
I only watched the first 2 minutes.
Up to where soldiers must have someone who's making $99/bag doing laundry. Wish I could make that much doing laundry HERE.The guy just wanted to do his own laundry so he'd know it's done right.
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ciera-marie1 year, 1 month ago
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Shirtless1 year, 1 month ago
Sectarian violence has not ended? Well, of course not. As long as there is at least one Sunni and one Shiite still breathing, there will always be sectarian violence.
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Reignman1 year, 1 month ago
Ahh heres a thought for you all to ponder.. Ready for this... WE ARE NOT LEAVING IRAQ ANYTIME SOON!!! What part of that concept is so hard for you all to grasp.. We are not leaving til that country is secure.. GET IT THRU YOUR THICK DENSE LIBERAL HEADS!!! Its all your rhetoric that is irelevant at this point.. BTW... Bother to here about President Bush's trip to ALBANIA!!! Wont find that piece on this NUTSCAPE!!! Here is another thought for you loonies to ponder... Rudy Guilianni 08!!! btw... I got a quote for you all in here... " Every conservative is a liberal that has been mugged by Reality"... Ponder that one..
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Ratskii1 year, 1 month ago
And every liberal is a conservative that's been beat up by reality.
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ABANOCLA1 year, 1 month ago
Here is what Hillary Clinton says about how long our troops will be there, thru her second term as president, 10 years more, she is in fantasy land about her getting 2 terms,or 1 for that matter, but maybe not the on the other....wasn't she one of the "bring our troops home" folks a month or so ago?
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/06/12/se...
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Candida1 year, 1 month ago
Reignman: "Bother to here about President Bush's trip to ALBANIA!!! Wont find that piece on this NUTSCAPE!!!"
Here it is:
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/06/10/bu...
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foksipayne1 year, 1 month ago
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Candida1 year, 1 month ago
Reignman: "WE ARE NOT LEAVING IRAQ ANYTIME SOON!!!"
Not even if the Iraqi Government asks nicely and says pretty please?
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RoyHobbs1 year, 1 month ago
A thought to ponder...Will Reignman be going to Iraq anytime soon?
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bongy3371 year, 1 month ago
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saintetienne1 year, 1 month ago
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Ratskii1 year, 1 month ago
Saintetienne, I'm curious. I gather you were over there as a soldier, correct? If an armed invader came up to you (rifle in hand) and asked you if you supported him being there, wouldn't you be inclined to say, "Oh, sure man, we really like you guys being here."? I suspect your view of the situation is more limited than you imagine.
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Candida1 year, 1 month ago
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bongy3371 year, 1 month ago
Sorry, your mother and wife are already smoking the crack and meth. They just got through doing your boyfriends at the crack house!
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ABANOCLA1 year, 1 month ago
That comeback certainly had little "shock and awe" value but then again most things looking back to the 5th grade didn't either....enjoy your summer bongy and study up for the 6th grade in the fall:)
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aniokly1 year, 1 month ago
I believe the people who have been there in Iraq, and I believe the letters I get from my nephews over there, over a bunch of sore heads that cannot wait for the peace dividend the Democrats will pay for their votes with, sorry. No money for you this year. We are doing a good job, and we are winning the people over. The young especially, and they will be the leaders of tomorrow.
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bongy3371 year, 1 month ago
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foksipayne1 year, 1 month ago
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HanymanComment removed: User banned.
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icandoComment removed: User banned.
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