In a continuing reminder of the failure of the Bush invasion and occupation of Iraq, we see that one side-effect is that we now have an Iraqi leadership increasingly friendly with the Saddam (and U.S.) enemy Iran. How peachy are things between the two countries? Quite peachy, in quite a contrast with our situation:
Pomp and ceremony greeted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his arrival in Iraq on Sunday, the fanfare a stark contrast to the rushed and secretive visits of his bitter rival U.S. President George W. Bush. Ahmadinejad held hands with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as they walked down a red carpet to the tune of their countries' national anthems, his visit the first by an Iranian president since the two neighbours fought a ruinous war in the 1980s. His warm reception, in which he was hugged and kissed by Iraqi officials and presented with flowers by children, was Iraq's first full state welcome for any leader since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003.
I am actually not so sure this is a bad thing, however. If both the U.S. and Iran are allies with Iraq, that becomes a common denominator between our two countries, and might lead to a diplomatic detente with a new U.S. president. Maybe.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Wow Bill Maher's New Rules from the other night, brutal and hilarious
Watch the whole thing. This is, well, politically incorrect:
Hope in Kenya
This is a few days old (Feb 29), but still worth writing on. Kofi Annan got the job done, and many Kenyans were demanding reconciliation. From the New York Times:
Kenya’s rival leaders broke their tense standoff on Thursday, agreeing to share power in a deal that may end the violence that has engulfed this nation but could be the beginning of a long and difficult political relationship. The country seemed to let out a collective cheer as Mwai Kibaki, the president, and Raila Odinga, the top opposition leader, sat down at a desk in front of the president’s office, with a bank of television cameras rolling, and signed an agreement that creates a powerful prime minister position for Mr. Odinga and splits cabinet posts between the government and the opposition.
But wow a lot is going to have to happen to repair the economic, social, and human damage that has occurred over the past two months:
There is also a deeply divided country to heal. More than 1,000 Kenyans have been killed and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes in an uncharacteristic burst of violence set off by a deeply flawed election in December. Much of the fighting, like the voting, has been along ethnic lines.... The controversy spawned bloodletting across the country, with supporters of Mr. Odinga and Mr. Kibaki attacking one other in brutal battles. Few were spared. Entire villages were razed. Women and children were burned alive.
The international community needs to move in fast, efficiently, and constructively. Let's go.
Kenya’s rival leaders broke their tense standoff on Thursday, agreeing to share power in a deal that may end the violence that has engulfed this nation but could be the beginning of a long and difficult political relationship. The country seemed to let out a collective cheer as Mwai Kibaki, the president, and Raila Odinga, the top opposition leader, sat down at a desk in front of the president’s office, with a bank of television cameras rolling, and signed an agreement that creates a powerful prime minister position for Mr. Odinga and splits cabinet posts between the government and the opposition.
But wow a lot is going to have to happen to repair the economic, social, and human damage that has occurred over the past two months:
There is also a deeply divided country to heal. More than 1,000 Kenyans have been killed and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes in an uncharacteristic burst of violence set off by a deeply flawed election in December. Much of the fighting, like the voting, has been along ethnic lines.... The controversy spawned bloodletting across the country, with supporters of Mr. Odinga and Mr. Kibaki attacking one other in brutal battles. Few were spared. Entire villages were razed. Women and children were burned alive.
The international community needs to move in fast, efficiently, and constructively. Let's go.
Republican loon watch
From TPMtv, Josh Marshall highlights the worst of the worst this week. Hard to watch, but it serves to remind us how nuts some of these people really are.
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