BAGHDAD, Nov. 21, 2008
Iraqi Protesters Burn Bush Effigy
Shiite Cleric's Followers Take To Baghdad Square, Decry Proposed Security Pact
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Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn the American flag as thousands converge at Firdous Square in central Baghdad, Iraq for a mass prayer to protest a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact on Nov. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Khlaid Mohammed)
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A protester uses his shoe to strike an effigy of U.S. President George. W. Bush, in an expression of contempt, as thousands of followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr converged on Firdous Square in central Baghdad, Iraq for a mass prayer to protest a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact on Nov. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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Chanting and waving flags, thousands of Muqtada al-Sadr's followers filled Firdous Square to protest a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact that would allow American troops to stay for three more years. The Bush effigy was placed on the same pedestal where U.S. Marines toppled the ousted dictator's statue in one of the iconic images of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
After a mass prayer, demonstrators pelted the effigy with plastic water bottles and sandals. One man hit it in the face with his sandal. The effigy fell head first into the crowd and protesters jumped on it before setting it ablaze.
Before it fell, the effigy held a sign that said: "The security agreement ... shame and humiliation."
Iraq's parliament is expected to vote next week on the plan to keep U.S. forces in Iraq for another three years. But the noisy opposition by the Sadrists indicates that even if it is approved, the deal could remain divisive in a country struggling for reconciliation.
Opponents view the security deal as a surrender to U.S. interests despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, saying the pact would eventually lead to full sovereignty.
Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, was not at the protest, though he wrote a sermon read by his representative, Sheik Abdul Hadi al-Mohammadawi, calling the U.S. "the enemy of Islam."
"The government must know that it is the people who help it in the good and the bad times. If it throws the occupier out all the Iraqi people will stand by it," the sermon read, using common rhetoric for the United States.
Al-Sadr reiterated in the sermon that his followers in both the armed and the peaceful factions of his movement will continue to work for the removal of U.S. forces.
Security was tight for the demonstration, with the area closed to traffic and heavily guarded by Iraqi soldiers in Humvees. Army snipers took positions on top of buildings overlooking the square. The Sadrists also provided their own security, searching worshippers as they approached the square.
The protesters included two Sunni clerics. Many arrived at the square on foot or by bus and carried prayer rugs, pieces of cardboard or newspapers for the mass prayer.
They waved Iraqi flags and green Shiite banners, chanting, "No, no to the American agreement!" and, "No, no to the agreement of humiliation!"
The Cabinet has approved the agreement, meaning it stands a good chance of passage in the 275-seat parliament where the government's parties dominate. But for al-Maliki's Dawa party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, its senior government partner, the margin of support is almost as important as the victory itself. A narrow vote for approval will cast doubt on the legitimacy of the new terms governing the U.S. troop presence.
Al-Sadr's followers and other legislators opposed to the pact also try to could use the narrow vote to turn their anti-American message into a defining issue in provincial elections on Jan. 31 and general elections late in 2009.
If the agreement passes the legislature, it will go to the president and his two deputies for ratification. Each one has veto power.
In Related News:
A statement says Multi-National Division - Center soldier died Thursday but gives no other details. The brief statement doesn't give a location but Multi-National Division - Center soldiers operate in areas south of Baghdad.
As of Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, at least 4,201 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
"This guy was finally held accountable for what he's done, and I think I'm happy about that because we're all held accountable," Keith Maupin, the soldier's father said. "They told me they killed him on Veterans Day. Ain't that appropriate."
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 61 Comments
- YOU ARE WELCOME IRAQIS.. WE GLADLY GIVE YOU YOUR FREEDOM.. SO YOU CAN BURN AMERICAN FLAGS... And we want nothing in return.. We gladly spend our hard earned tax dollars on rebuilding your country, when we should be spending it on Our people..
Thank you UN for not having the balls to do what the AMERICAN MILITARY DID.. Now pack up and move the UN else where..
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Posted by libsh8theUSA
Wow, I haven''t laughed this hard since ... I don''t even know when. Great satire! - Reply to this comment
- tj217, it''''s not a lie. Try looking up some facts. My husband was in the Armed Forces during the Clinton Administration....He would tell you different.
Posted by yourpointis at 03:14 PM : Nov 21, 2008
*****
tj217 go to DOD and check it out.. Then come back and apologize..
Posted by libsh8theUSA at 03:13 PM : Nov 21, 2008
The figures quoted are falsified in that they use partial totals for the Bush admin. and complete totals for Clinton''s administration. Bush''s numbers are strictly Iraq war dead. Clinton''s numbers include troops killed in accidents, by suicide, by illness, by terrorist attacks, and the one killed in action. If you add in all those categories to the Bush numbers, his totals will more than quadruple. - Reply to this comment
- Sadr is in a weakened position. He used to rely upon his militia to gain power. If he didn%u2019t get a seat at the table he would cause chaos outside with his Mahdi Army until he was. Now much of his militia has been broken up. He himself never had much control over it in the first place. He is now focusing upon providing social services, and these protests. He%u2019s been calling them weekly for months now. He%u2019s still on the outside however as he can%u2019t stop the SOFA from being passed. He%u2019s also been losing supporters as some of his leaders have been assassinated, perhaps by rival factions within the movement. The major Shiite coalition and the Kurds already almost have the votes to pass it in parliament. They need to get the Sunni Accordance Front to sign on so that it has a %u201Cnational%u201D approve stamp on it. The Sunnis then are the key for the SOFA right now, not the Sadrists. For more on Sadr%u2019s decline see: http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2008/10/another-sadrist-assassinated.html
- Reply to this comment
- As shown yesterday by the Iraq people, they do not want us there, and the American people do not want us there, after such a heavy cost in lives and funds, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE DOING BEING THERE?
- Reply to this comment
- They have their nerve ,burning a Bush doll-he did 1000x more damage to the States than he did in Iraq-we should be first.
- Reply to this comment
- YOU ARE WELCOME IRAQIS.. WE GLADLY GIVE YOU YOUR FREEDOM.. SO YOU CAN BURN AMERICAN FLAGS... And we want nothing in return.. We gladly spend our hard earned tax dollars on rebuilding your country, when we should be spending it on Our people..
Thank you UN for not having the balls to do what the AMERICAN MILITARY DID.. Now pack up and move the UN else where..
Posted by libsh8theUSA
The Iraqis didn''t ask American troops to destroy their country and give them "freedom". What kind of "freedom" are you talking about, anyway, with daily bombings that destroy any chance of normalcy for its citizens.
They didn''t ask for 10 per cent of their people to be displaced and hundreds of thousands slaughtered for the sake of moron Bush''s private revenge mission against Iraq''s legitimate leader.
As for the UN, it has no ability to wage war, legal or otherwise. And it''s not a question of "having balls" to go destroy another country.
Iraq owes the US NOTHING. If you''re ticked off that your tax dollars have been thrown away on the illegal war, protest Bush and his cronies. Don''t blame the innocent Iraqi people. - Reply to this comment
- notfooled: So you rely on the on the intensive studies done by a 7 year old. I hope you let her do your income tax.
- Reply to this comment
- YOU ARE WELCOME IRAQIS.. WE GLADLY GIVE YOU YOUR FREEDOM.. SO YOU CAN BURN AMERICAN FLAGS... And we want nothing in return.. We gladly spend our hard earned tax dollars on rebuilding your country, when we should be spending it on Our people..
Thank you UN for not having the balls to do what the AMERICAN MILITARY DID.. Now pack up and move the UN else where.. - Reply to this comment
- The other day there was a guy on the forum talking about the Bush/Cheney involvement in the 911 attacks to inspire support and outrage for the Iraq war and their subsequent attempts to block the investigations of it.
Several people went way out of their way to label the guy a delusional conspiracy nut wackjob.
And I''''ve been thinking to myself .... but the FBI says it was a conspiracy ... the 911 commission says it was a conspiracy ... even my 7 year old sister knows it was a conspiracy.
I guess the thing is people are afraid to believe anything but the official version of the events - even though that story comes from 962 time public liar Bush (wmd, wmd, wmd).
It must be easier to believe a self-indicted liar than the proof folks see with their own eyes watching as steel-framed buildings collapse and fall at the rate of gravity, just like it happens in professional demolitions.
Kinda hard to believe actually. - Reply to this comment
- Approaching two million, including between 150,000 and 340,000 Iraqi and between 450,000 and 730,000 Iranian combatants killed during the Iran-Iraq War. An estimated 1,000 Kuwaiti nationals killed following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. No conclusive figures for the number of Iraqis killed during the Gulf War, with estimates varying from as few as 1,500 to as many as 200,000. Over 100,000 Kurds killed or "disappeared". No reliable figures for the number of Iraqi dissidents and Shia Muslims killed during Hussein''s reign, though estimates put the figure between 60,000 and 150,000. (Mass graves discovered following the US occupation of Iraq in 2003 suggest that the total combined figure for Kurds, Shias and dissidents killed could be as high as 300,000).
- Reply to this comment
- "We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S.Constitution and Laws, to take necessary actions, (including, if appropriate,
air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq''s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction
programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998-Truth!
According to the U.S. Senate website, the text of this letter was signed by several Senators, both Democrat and Republican, including Senator John McCain and Joseph Lieberman.
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998-Truth!
The text of this statement by Nancy Pelosi is posted on her congressional website. - Reply to this comment
- "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them.
That is our bottom line."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998-Truth!
This was a quote from President Clinton during a presentation at the Pentagon defending a decision to conduct military strikes against Iraq.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear.
We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq''s weapons of mass destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998-Truth!
Bill Clinton went to the Pentagon on this occasion to be briefed by top military officials about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.
His remarks followed that briefing.
"Iraq is a long way from USA but, what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998-Truth!
This is a quote from Albright during an appearance at Ohio State University by Albright, who was Secretary of State for Bill Clinton.
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998-Truth!
This was at the same Ohio State University appearance as Madeline Albright. - Reply to this comment
- And you can hardly blame the Iraqi''''s for being angry about an American president who lied us all into war and has murdered almost a million humans for profit for his cronies.
Posted by notfooled
I guess you AREFOOLED..
Show me where 650,000 were murdered.. and I will show you where 650,000 were murdered by Muslim Extremist..
Do you remember Saddam Hussein? Do you remember how many of his own people he Murdered? The figure you stated is a fraction of what Saddam Murdered.. If you count Kurds and Iranians (which I could care less if they get murdered) - Reply to this comment
- "Followers of a Shiite cleric on Friday stomped on and burned an effigy of President George W. Bush in the same central Baghdad square where Iraqis beat a toppled statue of Saddam Hussein with their sandals five years earlier."
Actually the truth is that U.S. news crews directed by the military paid Iraqi''s to stomp on the statue of Saddam so they could film it for propaganda purposes.
And you can hardly blame the Iraqi''s for being angry about an american president who lied us all into war and has murdered almost a million humans for profit for his cronies.
Hopefully the trials for genocide and crimes against humanity will start soon. - Reply to this comment
- BUT THE SURGE IS WORKING! Victory is in sight. Our Trillion dollars in Iraq was not wasted! Somebody should interview that idiot McCain right now.
- Reply to this comment
- In as much as I and everyone else considers us to be engaged in a "war", congress has never declared it to be one, and has not declared a state of war since WW2.
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Posted by GeneRey at 01:54 PM : Nov 21, 2008
Oh, ok. Our soliders are off to a foreign land playing hide and go seek. I forgot. Thank you. - Reply to this comment
- Does the sound of wind in your ears keep you up at night? Do you ever wonder from where that sound comes? It comes from the empty space in between your ears. For the record, I don''''t care that much for Pelosi or Reid...
Posted by tj217 at 03:50 PM : Nov 21, 2008
Oh come on, you can do better than a joke that''s been around since Pelosi was a virgin. The dust must have been pretty think on that one. But, that last part does give me hope that you might be reasonable at some level. - Reply to this comment
- tj217 ~ I''m waiting for an apology. Did you check the facts about military deaths during the Clinton years? www.dod.gov will get you started in your search..
Then tj217, Let''s talk about your democrat party.. So your party doesn''t just vote by party lines.. (RIGHT).. Your party didn''t Spar Clinton after h was caught ling to the AMERICAN people.. Your party said.. "He lied.. but that is ok.". and let him off. Your party did not vote to go to war in Iraq? Shale we check how everyone voted..
There needs to be more then just two parties in control of OUR government.. And maybe one day America will see the writing on the wall..
Don''t become an Independent.. We don''t want your type.. - Reply to this comment
- I don''''t really care what you "think". As an independednt, that really means you lack the ability to think. He who stands for nothing will fall for anything. That is my assessment of "independents"...
Posted by tj217 at 03:36 PM : Nov 21, 2008
So when Pelosi pushes the button that activates that chip in your brain, does it make a crackle & snapping sound? - Reply to this comment
- tj217 IS A DEMOCRAT TROLL. HE DOE SNOT CARE ABOUT SOLDIERS LIVES - HE ONLY CARES ABOUT POLITICS. SHAMEFUL WASTE OF HUMAS FLESH
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