Posted on 08/27/2007 10:44:06 AM PDT by Froufrou
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lashed out yesterday at US lawmakers who have called on him to step down, and accused American forces of committing "big mistakes" in killing and detaining Iraqi civilians in the hunt for insurgents.
Alerts The embattled leader has come under fire from an array of allies and adversaries who say he has failed to unite his Cabinet and put crucial laws and programs in place. Yesterday he drew fresh criticism from two influential congressional Republicans.
Maliki aimed his angriest words at Democratic senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Carl Levin of Michigan. "There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages -- for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin," he said. "They should come to their senses."
At a news conference, the prime minister dismissed calls for him to step down as "ugly interference" in Iraq's domestic affairs.
Maliki and Iraqi lawmakers reported progress yesterday in efforts to meet some of the 18 benchmarks the United States has set to measure Iraqi progress toward self-sufficiency.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Ha! Join the club!
Hillary said that Maliki made “big mistakes” while hunting insurgents? Is Waco in Iraq?
Pssst! Nouri. Maybe you should read up on how the US deals with unappreciative little tyrants like you. I suggest you start with the bio of Ngo Dinh Diem and his worthless brothers. Bottom line is STFU or there's gonna be a Big Minh in your future.
He shoulda told em to take that log outta their own eye.
How in the world can these candidates criticize another leader when they certainly can’t do any better? And they certainly are in the position to do something now.
Telling the Iraqi people to look to Baghdad bureaucrats is like telling us to wait on Washington bureaucrats.. Nothing’s gonna get done.
A shout out to Austin, TX local government for helping build Iraq from the BOTTOM UP!!!
not ‘rebuilt’ Iraq, helping local Iraqi government officials with leadership skills.
Ironhorse Brigade, City of Austin team up
Sunday, 08 July 2007
By Multi-National Division – Baghdad Public Affairs Office
U.S. Army Col. Mike Bridges (upper left), Lt. Col. Peter Andrysiak (center), and Maj. Steve Espinoza (right), along with other members of the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, listen intently to advice from Austin, Texas, City Manager Toby Hammett Futrell about Austin’s local government model, during a conference call at Camp Taji, Iraq, June 28. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp.
CAMP TAJI — In order to help Iraqi local governments move to self-sufficiency, the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division is using expertise from the Austin, Texas, City Manager’s Office to examine concepts of governance from the standpoint of a real, working local government model that may be applied to reconstruction efforts.
In a partnership that began prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom II, the brigade is taking advantage of a program formed by both the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division to receive feedback and advice on how local governments operate through examples from the City of Austin.
The 1st BCT holds meetings and shares information with officials from the Austin office of City Manager Toby Hammett Futrell, through video teleconferencing and conference calls. According to Lt. Col. Peter Andrysiak, deputy commanding officer, 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div., having a real local government model for advice and a reach back capability is a boon to the Ironhorse Brigade’s efforts in helping locally-elected Iraqi officials with governance issues.
“They’re showing us great models that can be applied in teaching, coaching and mentoring local Iraqi governments,” said Andrysiak. “It’s good to have professionals that do this every day, to advise us.”
“We’re focusing solely on policy-making and administrative aspects,” he added. “Toby’s team is showing us ideas that work, giving examples which they have used and saying ‘here’s something that we’ve used before and it works.’”
Andrysiak explained that coalition forces are not trying to push Austin’s structure of government onto local Iraqi governments.
“They (the Iraqis) have their own system and we are working within that system with Austin leveraging their experience and processes. There are things inherent in government concepts that just work,” he said, explaining that there are models in place within the realm of civics that are essential to the running of any government. “They can take the models and mold and adapt them to their own culture, and it doesn’t have to be modeled after the American government.”
Although the brigade has many experts from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development on its Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, the partnership with Austin helps the brigade to fill in gaps where some of the ePRT experts may not have as much real on the ground experience within the structure of local government as opposed to national government or just dealing with concepts of government.
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12736&Itemid=1
Good to know! Thank you for that. Austin is also a mighty liberal place, you know.
Presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) acknowledged that the President’s “surge” strategy seems to be working, but called for Bush to “bring the troops home before any more damage is done to my presidential campaign.” “The American people are not expecting success, they are not prepared for success, it could be too big of a shock to the system,” Clinton contended.
Clinton recommended that before the troops come home they should first depose Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to “shake things up—like we did in Vietnam when we deposed Diem.”
read more...
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
Good one.
Pssst! Roadking. Maybe you should think back to the purple fingers you lot seem to cheer about. He was properly elected by his people and as the leader of a sovereign nation he has the right to interact, work with, engage whoever the h#ll he pleases. Realists told you this would happen by interfering in the internal affairs of other nations.
Regardless of what color fingers my lot (you actually have no idea what my lot is) cheers about, and regardless what realists (like who? Ron Paul maybe? Dennis Kuchinich?) may have told me about interfering in internal affairs of other nations, my point was to raise awareness of how problems downtown are dealt with by the Capo di Tuti Capi. Someone wakes up with an ice pick in his ear and the color of his finger means squat. Nouri would be well advised to zip it.
LOL, oh good you're going to send a private contractor to do the work. Hey wait a minute, I remember a Presidential candidate that advocated that very thing about 5 years ago when dealing with international desirables....
That being said, I sense some consternation from you that the 'chosen' leader of Iraq is spreading his wings a bit. Doesn't he realize for the opportunity of being the leader of a sovereign nation he must be the lap dog of the US government? Somebody better fix his wagon and good soon....freedom and actual liberty might break out otherwise....
Don't have to send them. The place is already swarming with "private" contractors.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.