Shiites Balk At Iraq Reconciliation Bill

Majority Sect Stalling U.S.-Backed Legislation To Bring Former Saddam Supporters Into Fold

(CBS/AP)  Shiite legislators on Monday denounced a draft bill to ease curbs on ex-Saddam Hussein loyalists in government services, dampening hopes of progress for the U.S.-backed legislation aimed at promoting national reconciliation.

Debate over rehabilitating former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party has been a major obstacle to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government. Al-Maliki has struggled to bring minority Sunnis into the political process and stem support for the insurgency.

Parliament began debate on the latest version of the measure on Sunday. But the session adjourned after lawmakers loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr began pounding their fists on their tables in protest.

Many Shiites suffered terribly under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime.

"The justice system has to have its say in this. There are Baathists who committed crimes and atrocities against the Iraqi people and those must be tried," Bahaa al-Araji, a lawmaker from al-Sadr's 30-member bloc, said Monday at a news conference.

He said the legislators understood many members were forced to join the Baath Party but said the legislation did not sufficiently distinguish those who willingly participated in suppression of majority Shiites.

"We have (to) first compensate the families of those who were killed and imprisoned by those and then discuss the law," he said.

The prospect of rehabilitating former Baathists did not sit well with Shiite lawmakers from other political parties either.

"This draft amounts to an unannounced general pardon by the government," said Safiya al-Suhail, a female Shiite lawmaker whose father was assassinated by Saddam's agents in Beirut in the 1990s.

"There is no punishment for wrongdoers," she added. "The victims of the former regime should see justice done to them. We will not accept national reconciliation at the expense of justice."

Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker, said parliament would discuss the draft again on Wednesday.

"I think that the bill is in general a good one," Othman said. "The country is in dire need of national reconciliation... Iraqis should abandon revenge and adopt forgiveness."

The United States has been pressing Iraqis to relax the ban and allow thousands of lower-ranking Baathists to regain their posts, but the legislation has frequently been stalled due to the stark differences between Shiites seeking revenge and those who want to put the past behind them.

Enacting and implementing legislation on so-called de-Baathification is one of 18 benchmark issues that the U.S. has set as measures for progress in Iraq.

Another controversial issue is the need to develop legislation for the equitable sharing of Iraq's oil wealth among the varied ethnic and religious groups.

Kurdish authorities insisted on their right to issue oil drilling and exploration contracts to foreign firms despite objections by the central government.

The Kurds, who enjoy self-rule in their oil-rich northern territory, have signed eight contracts and others are expected soon for operations in the area. But the Oil Ministry said last week that the contracts were invalid and that foreign companies that sign them risk being blacklisted by the Iraqi government.

"I'd like to say frankly that Iraq's Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani cannot nullify any contract the Kurdistan government has concluded with the foreign companies," said Nechirvan Barzani, the semiautonomous region's prime minister, seen at left.

"And the Kurdistan government will continue with concluding contracts within the context of Iraq's constitution. And if there is any problem of such kind, we have a constitutional court, and al-Shahristani can resort to this court," he added.

The Iraqi Cabinet approved a draft bill last February to regulate the country's oil industry and forwarded it to parliament. But parliament, citing legal technicalities, kicked it back to the Cabinet. The measure has been bogged down in negotiations ever since.

Last August, the Kurds enacted their own oil law to regulate the oil sector in the region, further angering the central government in Baghdad. Most of Iraq's oil lies in the Shiite-controlled south and the Kurdish north.

The political paralysis has raised concerns that failure to achieve reconciliation could stanch military progress in quelling the violence, which has continued despite a relative lull.

The Sadrists also are angry over recent raids against followers, primarily in southern Iraq where rival militias have been battling, raising fears that an order by the radical cleric to his Mahdi Army militia to stand down won't hold.

An al-Sadr follower from Diwaniyah, a mainly Shiite city 80 miles south of Baghdad, expressed outrage over a series of recent operations.

"Diwaniyah local authorities are now alleging that everybody belonging to the Sadrists or the Mahdi Army or who perform the Friday prayers are outlaws and should be detained" Ali al-Miali said at the joint news conference.

[westprophet]

HOPE FOR AMERICA: PRESIDENT RON PAUL
RonPaul2008.com

-- No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
-- No more aggressive military actions overseas
-- No more torture prisons
-- No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
-- No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
-- No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
-- No more erosion of Social Security to pay for militarization
-- No more U.N. (one world government) participation
-- No more NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO or GATT (globalist trade cartels)
-- No more North American Union (loss of U.S. sovereignty)
-- No more federal gun control laws
-- No more illegal aliens pouring-in over our country''s borders
-- No more illegal aliens allowed to roam freely in our streets
-- No more national ID cards (Real ID Act)
-- No more government invasion of your privacy
-- No more federal Laws which force you to take unwanted injections
-- No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
-- No more federal erosion of State sovereignty
-- No more unlimited federal government

"Wars are poor chisels for carving-out peaceful tomorrows."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

"Commerce with all nations. Alliances with none."
- Thomas Jefferson

"Ron Paul doesn''t represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
- Me

[eastprophet]

YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES
America is tipping way too far back in her easy chair. Something BIG is about to happen, and I predict this upcoming 2008 Presidential Election will be extremely pivotal. I''m not going to name any candidates. You probably already know who my favorite one is. But let me make my point absolutely clear: If you think times are boring, think again. If you think the future is predictable, think again. My advice to everyone who reads this is to be thoughtful. Trust only that wisdom which is your own. 90% of mainstream media in this country is controlled by fewer than 20 different organizations. Unfortunately, they, like the sold-out political ****** who pretend tp serve us in Washington, were bought and paid for by the military-industrial-pharmacutical complex decades ago. Therefore, mainsteam media will paint pictures they want to paint, and people will open their minds to pictures they want to see. So, be skeptical. Be wise. Research issues and talking points on your own, and share what you learn with those you love. The future of your family tree may lay in the balance.

[northprophet]

RON PAUL IS THE NEW WAY
What we need is a President who will show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW way. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50+ years. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of the Middle-East, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas of Presidential candidate, Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. He''s an intellectual who''s published four books, three of which are devoted entirely to sound economics and one to foreign policy. He was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania as a pious Lutheran, but now he attends a Baptist church. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. Whenever he recollects the helicopter pilots he treated as an Air Force Flight Surgeon (Captain) during the Vietnam War, a war which he now says was "totally unnecessary and illegal," he laments, "They were gung-ho. I''ve often thought about how many of those people never came back." Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and proven track record of adherence to The Constitution, Congressman Paul has always demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky.

[southprophet]

U.S. WAR WITH IRAN?
When I consider the prospect of a War with Iran, I wonder whether or not another major power might be inclined to side with Iran and oppose us. 10% of China''s exports go to Iran and 12% of Germany''s. Also, many countries, including China, are heavily dependent on the 2,836,000 barrels of oil Iran exports everyday. Not a problem. I''m sure those folks won''t mind riding bikes until the war is over. As far as the Iranians are concerned, I''m sure they''re just dying (no pun intended) to be invaded, er, I mean "liberated" by Americans, considering the horrid 70% approval rating of Ahmadinejad and the terrible $8,700 gross domestic product per capita there (8.6% better than China). I''m sure we''ll be welcomed in the streets after we "shock and awe" their all important looking buildings to Jahannum and back. When I compare U.S. military numbers with Iran''s, what I find is truly alarming. The U.S. has 2.37 million soldiers ready for combat. Let''s compare that with little ol'' Iran, which has more soldiers available for combat than any country in the entire world. Actually, Iran has more combat-ready soldiers (11.7 million) than China and Russia combined. Talk about hell! The bottom line is that America can''t even handle Iraq. At one point, we thought we could rush in, smite some nubs with dirks and bubble on back home in time to catch the next season of American Idol, but it didn''t quite work-out that way. Did it? With Iran, reality is going to hurt a lot more.

[westprophet]

A FOREIGN POLICY OF FREEDOM
All of the other presidential candidates want to continue our illegal police action in Iraq indefinitely, and they do not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Conversely, Ron Paul voted against our (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies--the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. The war in Iraq has cost more than 3,500 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We need a leader in the White House who will ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal aliens who are invading us from the South. No war should ever be fought without a Declaration of War voted upon by the Congress, as required by The Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised.

[eastprophet]

MORE TROOPS AND VETERANS SUPPORT RON PAUL
On Veteran''s Day, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul today addressed a crowd of over 5,000 enthusiastic veterans and supporters in Philadelphia. The Veteran''s Day weekend rally took place at Independence Mall. Thousands of veterans and their friends and families heard country music superstar Rockie Lynne open the event for the Texas congressman. John Holland, the founder of a leading advocacy organization for troops, veterans, and POW/MIAs, delivered an enthusiastic endorsement of Congressman Paul, before the congressman addressed the crowd. The rally coincided with the launch of the Veterans for Paul Coalition, a group composed entirely of American war veterans. "Dr. Paul''s support among veterans is extremely high," said Paul campaign spokesman Joe Seehusen. "These great patriots who have fought for our country know that only Dr. Paul''s foreign policy of peace and secure borders can guarantee true national security, and they want him fighting for our country''s freedom." Congressman Paul was himself a Captain in the Air Force who served as a flight surgeon during the "totally unnecessary and illegal" Vietnam war. He receives more campaign contributions from former and active military and military affiliates than all of the other 2008 presidential candidates combined.

[northprophet]

RON PAUL''S FOREIGN POLICY BOOK IS BESTSELLER
Ron Paul''s new book, "A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship," broke into the best-seller''s list recently. Dr. Paul''s collection of speeches on foreign policy is currently hovering around number 93 on the amazon.com top 100-selling books list, and has continued to maintain its number one spot in the Non-Fiction Government and Economic Policy genres. The book is a 30-year compilation of his speeches from the congressional floor, and assorted foreign policy writings on Constitutional Republicanism and Non-Interventionism. "Dr. Paul''s message of peace, prosperity and freedom is a best-seller," said Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton. "The numbers don''t lie. Americans want a humble and constitutional foreign policy, which only Ron Paul can deliver in 2008."

"Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict through peaceful means."
- Ronald Reagan

"A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers. All you have to do is hold your first dying soldier in your arms, and have that terribly futile feeling that his life is flowing out and you can''t do anything about it. Then you understand the horror of war. Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar."
- Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf

[southprophet]

GIULIANI GIVES AID TO AL QAEDA
How much exactly would it cost to get Rudy Giuliani to holster his overdone 9/11 sanctimony? The government for the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar might have a good idea. Following earlier reports that Giuliani was still getting paid by a consulting firm he created, Giuliani Partners LLC, Mary Jacoby of the Wall Street Journal sheds light on some potentially problematic sources of Giuliani''s private income. Chief among them is Qatar, the U.S. ally that paid Giuliani Partners for "security advice" regarding their petroleum facilities. The article uncovers a "potential political pitfall" for Giuliani''s candidacy and image given Qatar''s spotty record in fighting Al Qaeda, and addresses aspects of the business arrangement that could dog Giuliani during his quest for the presidency. Specifically, the ostensible chief consumer of Giuliani''s security advice in this case would be Qatar''s Internal Security Ministry, currently headed by a known Al Qaeda associate. As reported earlier this year, Qatar Interior Minister Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Thani has long had ties to top Al Qaeda operatives including Osama Bin Laden, and is believed by many U.S. officials to have personally arranged the narrow escape of Al Qaeda big-wig Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from U.S. agents in 1996, thereby ensuring his freedom to mastermind the 9/11 attacks. Giuliani has refused to release specifics of the case, and to-date remains on the firm''s payroll.

[westprophet]

ONLY RON PAUL CAN BEAT CLINTON
Zogby''s Director of Communications Fritz Wenzel said on November 20 that Paul is the strongest of the GOP candidates to run against Clinton. "Among the larger universe of voters," which includes all parties, "yes, Paul would be a much stronger candidate than any of the other three [Romney, Giuliani, Thompson]," Wenzel said. Zogby recently announced that Paul was their winner in a nationwide blind-bio poll which included voters from all parties. "He is anti-war and the majority of Democrats are anti-war, he has some other ideas and policies and stances on issues more attractive to Democrats, particularly conservative Democrats," said Wenzel. "Even among Independents, he is far and away a more attractive candidate," he added. Paul is the only GOP candidate who is not threatening war with Iran, whereas Clinton vowed to keep that option "on the table." Paul also voted against the war in Iraq, which Clinton has supported. Because Democrats outnumber Republicans, none of the other GOP candidates can win against Clinton, because they simply won''t be able to reach across party lines and attract enough Democratic and Independent voters to beat Clinton. Only Paul can do that. "He''s right on schedule," Wenzel said. "He''s making all the right moves, going in the right direction...at a time when other candidates are not moving." Wenzel based his analysis on recent polls that show Paul could win in New Hampshire and that his support nationwide is intensifying.

[eastprophet]

RON PAUL WINS BIG IN NATIONAL POLL
The results of a nationwide telephone poll, announced by Zogby on November 19th, reveals that Americans want to vote for a candidate who protects liberty; who wants to shrink government; and who wants to immediately withdraw our troops from Iraq - positions of Congressman Ron Paul. As part of a blind-bio, spread poll, likely voters (from all parties) were provided with descriptions of four different Republican candidates and asked to choose who they would vote for based on each one''s resume and political platform. 33% of pollees chose Ron Paul, 19% chose Rudy Giuliani, 15% chose Mitt Romney and 13% chose Fred Thompson. The results clearly illustrate that the country is crying out for Ron Paul, which is why mainstream media has launched a public relations offensive to marginalize his accomplishments and suppress the Congressman''s name recognition. In a seperate question, over 49% of pollees said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who would begin an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. In fact, Ron Paul won in every demographic of this poll including, but not limited to, religious voters, NASCAR fans, military families, African-Americans, etc..

[mcvet]

speakinup, thanks for your views, I have noticed we agree on alot. Sometimes I just feel the need to debate the people who, for no other obvious reason, refuse to acknowledge the threat of radical Islam and do nothing more than bash Americas policies, which has been to actually fight back. These people on the one hand think all the worlds problems are caused by one man, a very simplistic and idiotic view, while on the other say the problem is too complex to solve by actually fighting an enemy that plays by no rules.


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

Posted by notblue at 04:22 PM : Nov 26, 2007
+ report abuse

ROFLMAO Right! You poor bootlickers haven''t a clue what''s going on or who the enemy is. You simply are handed down talking points by the Reich and you repeat them... much like Mission Accomplished or "We''re winning in Iraq"! If left to you bootlickers we''re still hearing Stay the Course in a nation that posed NO threat to us NOR did they have any of the Weapons we were told about...that was nothing but LIES. No sparky the Real enemy is in ANOTHER Country and has completely rebuilt his forces USING this pathetic Incompetent Leader, Bush''s, Policies to do so. Now maybe in Swastika Land that''s success, to the rest of us it is complete FAILURE. Now you can go back to shouting Sieg Heil Bush!!

[b-easy63]

LOL "Oh yes, Uncle Sam-dullah--we''ll pay you a huge amount to guard our collaborating azzes but we won''t reconcile and share what''s left with the rest of the country"

[notblue]

speakinup, thanks for your views, I have noticed we agree on alot. Sometimes I just feel the need to debate the people who, for no other obvious reason, refuse to acknowledge the threat of radical Islam and do nothing more than bash Americas policies, which has been to actually fight back. These people on the one hand think all the worlds problems are caused by one man, a very simplistic and idiotic view, while on the other say the problem is too complex to solve by actually fighting an enemy that plays by no rules.

[speakinup]

notblue - j-whitman won''t believe you about Bush unless you curse Bush publicly.

Even then his paranoid mind will constantly wonder.

And j-w doesn''t own a cave. It''s a rock he crawls out from under. He''s a real pathetic little man. Lies, spins, puts words into your mouth, uses circular logic - with one or two missing links (mostly his brains), very rarely uses facts to substantiate ANYTHING, and constantly changes the topic.

In the past he has tried to convince folks there are 110 Senators, bush family supported the Nazi''s and other such BS.

whata jerk. Just refuse to debate him. oh, but he does love Hillary - can''t tell you why - other than she kept her worthless marriage together. Like THAT''s a real good reason as to why she''s the best qualified to be President.

HE hates women - often asking why I don''t visit my obgyn (I''m male) - go figure as to what his problem is...

He claims I bad mouth Americans and have ''no honor''. The guy''s a real loser.

[denn034]

The Shiites are right to oppose that. Saddam supporters have no place in Iraqi government.

[j-whitman]

notblue,,,, You say you don''t like Bush, but you love all the rhetoric --- All Americans want a successfull outcome in Iraq.... But it cannot be accomplished by the lies & constant lowering of the political demands on Iraq nor by supporting Sunni Arabs who still send insurgents to Iraq.
--- Currently our limited number of troops are trying to achieve security street by street ----- They have a long way to go ----
----- Even the commanders on the ground warn you that progress in security is tenious at best & not happening in other portions of Iraq --- They also say that much of what you are being told is far from the truth.

[abdoul_pasha]

America didn`t succeeed in Iraq, it actually failed and gave many vicims.

[notblue]

j-whitman, Bush is not my beloved. America''s success is important to me. Unlike you, hatred for a particular political ideology or politician does not cloud my perspective or judgement or cause me to rationalize or fantasize in order to make my opinion seem correct. Progress in Iraq is undeniable and if it continues it will be interesting to hear what you will say next. Great entertainment though!

[j-whitman]

notblue,,,,, Just how is Bush making progress when he divided communities with blast walls, ethnicaly cleansed them & armed 70,000 Suni Arabs & Iraqi''s who openly state they will destroy the centralized government of Iraq ??????

[j-whitman]

notblue,,,,, If you would open your eyes & look --- Bush has changed once more the definition of progress, just so he can make the ignorant claim of success.