A plan for Iraq (An Outstanding "Must Read")

Gulf News ^ | August 19, 2007 | Ayad Allawi

[humint]

The writer was interim prime minister of Iraq from 2004 to 2005.

[advertising guy]

beer has it’s effects.........self ping for later read

[Lancey Howard]

Excellent!

[OKIEDOC]

It looks like the only way their will be any kind of headway in Iraq is for the United States to take on these Iranian thugs crossing and shelling across the border.

When is Washington going to get the guts to hold the Syrians and Iranians for the death of our soldiers?

It’s time to quite pussy footing around with the Middle East bullies.

Just the opinion of a red state wannabe.

[NordP]

Bring this guy back...he gets it!!! ...And thank him for his continued efforts to help his Country.

[NordP]

No offense to the President I’m dearly glad we have, but we seem to have quite a bit of a border issue ourselves. If we can’t secure OUR border....

[Matchett-PI]

bttt

[SolidWood]

Who could have imagined that Iraq would be in such crisis more than four years after Saddam Hussein? Each month 2,000 to 3,000 Iraqi civilians are killed by terrorists and sectarian death squads. Electricity and water are available, at best, for only five to six hours a day. Baghdad, once evidence of Iraq's cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, is now a city of armed sectarian enclaves -- much like Beirut of the 1980s.

Allawi may have been a better PM than Jafaari or Maliki, but he reads like someone who is bitter about not being in charge anymore. We need a secular Shia in charge, but Allawi is a former Baathist and there is realistically few chances for him to return to the top. His talking points are identical to the MSM crap. Baghdad was once a blossoming heaven of diversity? Oh please...

[OKIEDOC]

Yes, it is a crying shame that our government and leaders refuse to take care of the problem.

This immigration mess could be cleared up if Chertoff would be held accountable for upholding the law.

[humint]

Allawi may have been a better PM than Jafaari or Maliki, but he reads like someone who is bitter about not being in charge anymore.

He reads like someone who is bitter about not having his own militia, recognizes what militias are doing to his country and believes militia thugs can be beaten by democratic means.

[NordP]

Maybe so. I've managed to keep slight sanity about this topic by thinking there just must be some higher level security briefing reason for the non-action at the border.

I would hate to think that my party was solely caving to big business and the hope of more votes. Such shallow reasons. We used to STAND for all that's good in character.

Well, the great thing about pendulums is that they swing back once they've gone too far in one direction. ;-)

[willyd]

It seems that once again the ten commandments come into play. As governments in all countries accrue weapons of mass distruction as they limit their citizens to various forms of small arms ownership, it becomes increasingly obvious that in the future, the only resistance that will work for any oppressed people will be to invoke the old testament. Christianity is the way and the path for all people including Jews and Muslims and Mormons. There is only one thing that all these religions agree on and that is the old testament.

[NordP]

And how embarrassing is it as humans to always fight over religion...the one thing GOD would hope we would NEVER fight about...Him.

[willyd]

Our party relies on more than just votes at this point. It’s very existence relies on conservatives getting out in the community and demonstrating the philosophy that we preach. This means taking part on a local level to make the community a better place by any means available. It is one thing to say that the private sector can take care of the people better than the government can, it is an entirely different case to prove it. Until people see that it is better to make your own way then it is to wait for that check (which comes every week or two) they won’t do anything. The Democratic party exists because citizens of all types sit on their asses. That is the sad reality.

[davidosborne]

bttt

[cinives]

We need a regional diplomatic strategy that increasingly invests the United Nations and the Arab world in Iraqi security and reconstruction.

He gets it ?? Anyone who believes the UN or other Arab states are interested in stability or other than totalitarian rule, or will work constructively with the US, are simply deluding themselves and living in an alternate universe.

[jveritas]

He did not mention the most important cause for the violence: AL Qaeda.

Also this article by Allawi has only one goal: Make me Prime Minister.

[NordP]

Note to Self: Read the whole article before posting...sorry.

[Mr_Tiki]

Even though I support Allawi, I have problems accepting this:
- We need a regional diplomatic strategy that increasingly invests the United Nations and the Arab world in Iraqi security and reconstruction.

The Arab world's main contribution so far is large numbers of suicide bombers to Iraq. Why would anyone want to deal with such criminals? As for the UN, it has a shady past in Iraq and its agenda is clear for everyone. The UN office in Baghdad was bombed exactly three years ago and it was said at the time that this was as a result of UN officials insisting on relying on local security which is associated with the 'insurgency'

[Mr_Tiki]

Exactly! Neither did he mention Al-Mahdi army. He balmes the Iraqi government for the whole thing!
Let me be clear. Responsibility for the current mess in Iraq rests primarily with the Iraqi government, not with the United States