Iraq leaders meet McCain and Feingold, violence continues countrywide

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Sen. John McCain renewed pressure on Iraqi leaders to quickly form a new government in meetings Saturday, while more than 50 people were killed in violence, many in a gunbattle between Shiite militia forces and insurgents south of Baghdad.

McCain, R-Ariz., was in the country with Sen. Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who opposed the war in Iraq, just four days after another powerful group of American politicians traveled here to press Iraqi politicians to overcome their differences.

"The American people, no matter what party they are associated with, want the experiment of democracy to succeed,'' McCain said.

Feingold did not speak, but nodded in agreement as McCain spoke about the future of Iraq.

The delegation arrived in Iraq as the Bush administration has been applying extreme pressure on Iraqi politicians to form a government. Washington hopes to begin withdrawing troops this summer, banking on a decrease in violence once a national unity government is in place.

http://wvgazette.com/section/APNews/News/ap0465n

[RufusEarl]

1. I can hear Bu$h now

Form a government now. our we'll fuck'n kill you!!

[Supersedeas]

8. The urgency and the substance is all for * face value - nuthin more

[MessiahRp]

2. "So we hear you are the maverick.. the rebel of your Congress"

McCain: "Oh well thank you."
Iraqi leader: "No not you. You're Bush's bitch. We mean the Jewish man from the place of dairy cows."

:)

Rp

[RufusEarl]

3. HAHAHAHAH!!!

[Zorra]

4. Thanks for the laugh!

;-)

[hollowdweller]

6. LMAO That was total quality!

[wordpix2]

7. LOL, very good!

[LynnTheDem]

5. WTF does McCain think any government hunkered down in the GZ

is gonna accomplish???

It's another one of them "corner-turnings"; all will be fine in Iraq...soon as the Iraqi government hiding in the Green Zone forms an Iraqi government hiding in the Green Zone!

Yeah sure.

[deadparrot]

9. Senators to Iraqis: U.S. Losing Patience

BAGHDAD, Iraq - As a gunbattle raged south of Baghdad, Sens. John McCain and Russell Feingold told Iraqi leaders Saturday that American patience was growing thin and they needed to urgently overcome their stalemate and form a national unity government.

It was the second high-level U.S. delegation in less than a week delivering the same stark message to Iraqi politicians as the Bush administration steps up pressure to overcome the political impasse that threatens to scuttle hopes to start an American troop pullout this summer.

"We need very badly to form this unity government as soon as possible," McCain, R-Ariz., said at a news conference after meetings with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. "We all know the polls show declining support among the American people."

The U.S. delegation also voiced alarm about increasing sectarian violence in Iraq showing itself in the daily count of drive-by shootings, bombings and dumped corpses, victims of execution-style killings in the shadowy Shiite-Sunni settling of scores.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060325/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Missy M]

10. Well McCain we never should have been there in the first...

place. Your pal Bush caused this mess and now you have to live with it. Also, what do you mean We" need to form this unity government, I believe that is up to the Iraqi's. Do any of our politicians live in the real world?????

[remfan]

11. It is, after all,

always about us.

[Rex]

12. "You kids put down the toys we sold you and stop this fighting!"

Only big kids get to fight and not pay for it! You little people just need to hurry up and get your shit together! Elections are coming up soon!

[Mikimouse]

13. Excuse me gentlemen...

But could you please explain to me, JUST WHO THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE TO SUGGEST THAT?, HUH? What a fuckin' crock. Your boy decided to play with fire and got burned, so now it is the fault of the matches?

[shance]

14. THEY, the war profiteers who are genociding innocent Iraqis are IMPATIENT?

Why is it that I'm shocked again and again, that such a bloated, opportunistic coward, consistent liar like John McCain would further threaten the victimized and the innocent. How much more do you want to break the backbone of these people John that have already been broken hundreds of times before by your stupid, Cromagnon party.

I watch time and time again McCain, how he curtsies and winks to George Bush, and then becomes Mr. Hyde foaming at the mouth with rage, degrading insults and indignation at any Democrat that dares to step out of quivering line.

Seems to me John McCain is a fraud.

True Veterans that saw the pain of Vietnam are not the careless, undisciplined blowhards like he is. Some may be homeless and broken spirited, but McCain somehow conveniently bankrolled off of his service.

I now doubt his story due to simply his baffling narcissistic, groveling behavior towards Cheney, Bush and other Republicans and actions. He is so out of touch with anyone elses needs but his own ascension to power. Thats not a real soldier who has seen the horror of war, thats just a prick.

I have never been in combat or the army. But I have pretty decent instincts. His so called history does not seem to match his absense of any caliber and statesmanship today. I just don't believe anyone who was supposedly a POW, and was supposed to have endured so much would act like such an SOB today and be such an opportunist.

If he had seen the trauma and murder and genocide others in Vietnam saw, I simply don't believe he would continue to show such monumental arrogance, selfishness and denial with regards to all of his actions. The compassion of a true veteran is absent in all of his choices and actions.

[karynnj]

29. Why question things that are facts

He was a POW, he was tortued, and he was in Vietnam. Questioning that is as evil as the SBVT's lying about John Kerry's serice. As a pilot, he may have seen little of the destruction caused.

The reason you have veterans, like Webb, who hate John Kerry is that they either hide the truth, that there were atrocities and there were actions done as standard procedure that were against international law. We invaded both Laos and Cambodia, while they were neutral countries - a fact that disturbed a 25 yr old Kerry, but not these people now in their 50s and 60s.

It would take a lot of personal honesty to admit as many soldiers did that what they did, that in many cases was the bravest, biggest thing they did in their lives, was in the larger scope of things either for nothing or worse. When you throw in the people they loved who were killed, it's understandable if they can't face it.

You expect more introspection and honesty from leaders. I really think that McCain doesn't get it or he possibly feels the US goals are so right and so important that they justify any bad actions and lost of life to accomplish them. (A demented version of "pay any price, bear any burden."

[Lexingtonian]

15. John McCain

has bet his hand as Presidential candidate on getting Iraq to work out as planned, and the bet is going bad.

Of course no Iraqi wants to set up or be part of the sham government called for. When the civil war gets to a boil, all sides will set to killing you- first.

[adigal]

30. John McCain wants more troops in Iraq

I wonder how that is going to go over by 2008????

Sorry, Johnny, I think you hitched your wagon to the wrong pony.

[PurityOfEssence]

16. "...patience was running thin..."

This is a line constantly used by Junior, too, and it smacks of bullying.

The posturing of being a decent chap who only resorts to violence when pushed too far by ingrates and bad guys is tiresome. McCain is not a strong, silent western hero type who only acts when forced to; he's a willing tool of a cabal of psychotic would-be world-conquering egomaniacs.

So here's the big question John, and it's a question that can always be applied to a blustering conservative who's fed up with this or that: or else WHAT? If they don't get their act together and form a unity government to our liking, what are we going to do, invade them?

No more Mr. Niceguy, huh? I'm sure that really sells in Iraq these days.

[Massachusetts]

17. "they needed to urgently overcome their stalemate "

Hello......They are in A Civil War, the infrastructure of Iraq has only WORSENED since we INVADED (can't even get reliable electric service). THINK OUT OF THE CAPITALIST BOX BOYS!
Sadly, one more SCREW up the diplomats and leaders(?) of OUR country have DUMPED on us.

[cliss]

18. A prediction:

(humble, I might add).

The violence in Iraq will not settle down. It will stay about the same - a civil war. Both side will retaliate: it will be to avenge family members lost.

As the spring and summer wears on, US politicians will start to get nervous. Bush will be out on a desperate non-stop speaking tours to promote his "New Start in Iraq", "New Victory". Coerced participants will be asleep in their seats.

The US will try a variety of measures: curfews lasting several weeks. The US will inject itself into the governing process, bypassing "puppet" Khalizad.

Nothing will improve.

As October and November start to draw closer, the politicians go into a meltdown. It's going to be tough to rig this election. Americans, thoroughly disgusted, head down to the polls and......

[KennedyGuy]

19. How come when Murtha said this, he was branded a traitor?

Seems to me that Murtha said pretty much the same things these guys are saying now.

[LynnTheDem]

20. What unmitigated gall.

Fucking gobsmacking.

:wow:

[daleo]

21. If the U.S. is really losing patience

Maybe they should just leave.

[Vidar]

22. Hate to ask, but isn't Feingold one of the senators over there?

[goforit]

23. Duh!!

[Solly Mack]

24. support for war declining so blame the Iraqis?

Blame the victim much?

[MrPrax]

25. How many times do ...

the Iraqis have to tell us to get the hell out. Twice in elections was an overwhelming rejection of the occupation and in particular the Americans. The new government can't really sit anyway because they have no leverage to do anything about the largest single issue--kicking out the Americans.

The US is precipating a civil war in order to use the violence and instability to justify a permanent presence--it also don't hurt to have the Iraqis killing each other, instead of the US alone.

Feingold shouldn't be TELLING the Iraqis anything--He should hightail it back and get to work in Congress where he belongs...

McCain is a dangerous little cretin and an opportunitistic fraud ...he can stay and end up getting held as a POW again for all I care.

[MessiahRp]

26. Iraqis? What Iraqis?

Who said this war was about them at all? Or that their opinion matters?

The war was obviously the starting grounds to set up bases for the Iranian Invasion.

Rp

[HuffleClaw]

27. i think its the IRAQIS who are 'losing patience'

with the occupation, with summary american 'justice', with american gestapo tactics and those 'superbases' they've built.

[arewenotdemo]

28. Somebody send Russell the PNAC mission statement

Apparently he's never heard of it.

"It's the reality of a situation like this that when you have a large troop presence that it has the tendency to fuel the insurgency because they can make the incorrect and unfair claim that somehow the United States is here to occupy this country, which of course is not true," Feingold said.