BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 31, 2007
Iraq Parliament On Recess; Marine Killed
Lawmakers Close Last Session For Summer Break Despite Criticism; Marine Dies In Anbar
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U.S. soldiers of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division talk to Mohammed Khutiev Abbas as they patrol the Amariyah neighborhood in west Baghdad, Iraq Tuesday, July 31, 2007. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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Iraqi legislators blame the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for failing to construct compromise versions of the key pieces of legislation, such as the so-called oil law, intended to ensure a fair distribution of Iraq's considerable oil wealth. (AP Photo/Ali Yusuff, Pool)
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Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani closed the final three-hour session without a quorum present and declared lawmakers would not reconvene until Sept. 4. That date is just 11 days before the top U.S. military and political officials in Iraq must report to Congress on American progress in taming violence and organizing conditions for sectarian reconciliation.
The recess, coupled with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's failure to get the key draft laws before legislators, may nourish growing opposition to the war among U.S. lawmakers, who could refuse to fund it.
Critics have questioned how Iraqi legislators could take a summer break while U.S. forces are fighting and dying to create conditions under which important laws could be passed in the service of ending sectarian political divisions and bloodshed.
As the lawmakers adjourned, the U.S. military said a Marine had died Monday in fighting in the Anbar province west of Baghdad. Three U.S. soldiers were killed fighting in Anbar on Thursday. At least 3,652 members of the U.S. military have died since the start of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
An Apache helicopter also went down Tuesday after coming under fire in a predominantly Shiite area in eastern Baghdad, but both crew members were safely evacuated, the military said.
In leaving parliament, many lawmakers blamed al-Maliki.
"Even if we sit next month, there's no guarantee that important business will be done," said Mahmoud Othman, a prominent Kurdish legislator. The parliament had already extended its session by a month, having initially planned a recess for July and August.
"There are Iraqi-Iraqi and Iraqi-American differences that have not been resolved," Othman said of the benchmark legislation. "The government throws the ball in our court, but we say that it is in the government's court and that of the politicians. They sent us nothing (to debate or vote)."
The September reports by Ambassador Ryan Crocker and U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus were to assess progress by the Iraqi government and its security forces on 18 political and security benchmarks.
Those include a so-called oil law that would set out rules for foreign investment and the fair distribution of revenue to all of Iraq's sects and ethnic groups.
"We gave the government a good chance by continuing to sit in July. We can still return for an emergency session if that's required, but I don't think that this is necessary because the draft legislation is not complete," said Salem Abdullah, spokesman for the Iraqi Accordance Front, the key Sunni bloc in parliament.
In other developments:
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- This is bul*lshit!!! We need to get our troops out of there immediately. These people don't give a *** about anything. To hell with all of them.Posted by hungry1968 at 08:58 AM : Jul 31, 2007
Why exactly should Iraqis give a ******* about Americans? We invaded them and unleashed this on them right? Not the other way around right? If you really think it is **********, then you are angry with Bush and company (Republican Congress) for fighting so hard to keep this going, because truth be known, no one wants us there except Republicans and our Iraqi collaborators--the Iraqis never had a choice in what we did. Not in invading them, not in bombing them, not in occupying them and not in staying and pretending we were the heros and saviours of them. This is our government's doing. the Iraqis? they just have to endure all of this until we have enough sense or lose enough of our stomachs to stop this **********.
But why be mad at the Iraqis, We are like the arsonists, who starts a crazy fire, then rushes in to help put it out and wants to be thought of as a hero. Who really is grateful to such a monster? - Reply to this comment
- Sorry. Can't be mad at the Iraqis for going on a vacation. It is their country and their government and they can do what they like, when they like for as long as they like. On the other hand, I do hold our feckless and clueless leadership entirely responsible for keeping a war going and allowing our people to be killed based on a war of lies, intents less than honorable and dying for a government who could care less how many Americans die (Iraqi government and our own) and for a people who wish American soldiers dead.
Only an idiot would have our soldiers protecting a hostile country where the only 2 things they are really dying for is to protect the collaborating puppet regime and the bottom line for American companies in the area. - Reply to this comment
- "Iraq's parliament on Monday shrugged off U.S. criticism and adjourned for a month"
Scre*w 'em. Leave now. They're not worth the effort now and they never have been. Leave and let them all sink or swim on their own. We won't of course because Bush wants the US bases there for his coming invasion of Iran. The benchmarks are a joke just to distract US public opinion while the preparations for the next war are being made. - Reply to this comment
- It is rather obvious the Iraqis leadership has failed to accomplish the steps necessary to have our troops stay there. The Iraqis people have allowed their leaders to do this. I think maybe we should pull all the troops and equipment out before the Iragis Parliment gets back. It's as good a time as ever.
- Reply to this comment
- No reason to stay one minute longer. Leave the streets now. Then leave the country. Let the animals slaughter each other. Who gives a rats-azz anymore? Their own "government" sure as he11 don't. And we don't either.
- Reply to this comment
- The Iraqis want us gone...even the rump Green Zone Regime is in rebellion against the Washington Regime. Obviously, they don't want to give away the nations oil to the Anglo-American gangsters. Obviously, they don't want to be permanently occupied...Obviously, they don't understand the imperial definition of democracy--doing what Washington says.
Troops Home Now! Down with the Regime! The enemy is in Washington! The borders are open and the vile louts are touting terrorist threats to the 'Homeland'....Time for the Chimp to find a new goat story book, a place out of the way of danger from which to watch the false-flag fun! - Reply to this comment
- In September they are going to want to try a different plan all this is called SPIN.
Posted by rharrin1 at 09:45 AM : Jul 31, 2007
We agree.
Americans may have short memories and attention spans, but surely they can remember the numerous times the Bush administration has claimed "we're turning a corner," "stay the course."
Followed by more catastrophic failures and "midunderestimations."
This is the worst administration in US history and it is not possible for them to help form governments in other nations. They can't operate one in this nation.
Lying, denying and obfuscating is not normally considered good governance. - Reply to this comment
- So the Iraqi Gov goes on holidays, while Americans die protecting them and other Iraqis.
And what reason were we given by the Bush Administration?
It will be too hot for them to sit.
Sounds fair doesn't it?
I'm sure our soldiers would appreciate some time off and a bit of respite from the heat - but they won't get it.
Instead, they'll be putting their lives at risk while Iraqi politicians relax.
Why George, why? - Reply to this comment
- "The parliament had already extended its session by a month, having initially planned a recess for July and August."
"We gave the government a good chance by continuing to sit in July."
This is bul*lshit!!! We need to get our troops out of there immediately. These people don't give a *** about anything. To hell with all of them.
At the bare minimum our troops should be pulled into the green zone and not allowed to leave until this extension-of-Washington based government returns to business. We're trying to shape their government based on ours - and unfortunately it looks like it's working. - Reply to this comment
- So, why wait until September to begin withdrawing US troops?
The surge failed, the Iraqi "government" failed, Bush failed and there is no reason to continue using US soldiers as policemen for lazy, uncaring Iraqis.
Time to bring the troops home and impeach Bush and Cheney. - Reply to this comment
