Maliki Aide Resigns but Stands by Guerrilla Amnesty Comments

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/15/AR2006061501267.html

Maliki Aide Resigns but Stands by Guerrilla Amnesty Comments

BAGHDAD, June 15 -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office Thursday accepted the resignation of an aide who had told a reporter that Maliki was considering a limited amnesty that would likely include guerrillas who had attacked U.S. troops, the aide said.

The aide, Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, stood by his account, reported in Thursday's issue of The Washington Post. Kadhimi said Maliki himself had indicated the same position less directly in public.

"The prime minister himself has said that he is ready to give amnesty to the so-called resistance, provided they have not been involved in killing Iraqis," Kadhimi said Thursday.

Maliki's office issued a statement earlier Thursday saying: "Mr. Adnan Kadhimi doesn't represent the Iraqi government in this issue, and Mr. Kadhimi is not an adviser or spokesman for the prime minister."

[handsignals4theblind]

1. What else can he do when he has so little power

Regardless of the suckers out there who have bought into the Pentagon/slack media spin about Al Zarqawi-or Emmanuel Goldstein , being responsible for countless suicide bombings, beheadings, kidnappings etc, the truth is that Al Zarqawi was used as a propganda public relations; to create a wedge between the insurgency.
Washington Post had an article about how The PSyops division of Central Command raised his profile to make him seem a far bigger bogeyman than he was while providing no proof or evidence for his crimes.
The Central goverment of Maliki remains in the ivory tower known as the GReenZone- far removed from the provinces where militias have more sway.

The U.S can no longer sell the public the repetetive lies about we are here to fight' foreign terrorist' because what they are really fighting is a legitimate resistance. Even the islamic ones they label as Al Queda is mostly propaganda because they are really just pious muhjadeen

[sabra]

2. well said, and welcome to DU!

[Jeanette in FL]

3. Uh-oh, looks like things are already falling apart

So soon, isn't it hard to believe, this newly formed government is already coming apart at the seams. And for this to happen so soon after our fearless leader just subjected himself to the dangers of Baghdad to congratulate the new Prime Minister on getting his cabinet complete.

I wonder how quick the White House was on the phone to al-Maliki's office after this aide made this announcement. Maybe the aide resigned so he can spend more time with his family.

[Roland99]

4. Gee, what an ally in the war on terror. How'd he size up, George??

[Roland99]

5. Whoa! *5* Republican Senators Defend Amnesty for Terrorists!!!!!

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Senators_invoke_Confederacy_Mandela_to_defend_0615.html

“If they bore arms against our people," said Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, "What's the difference between those people that bore arms against the Union in the War between the States? What’s the difference between the Germans and Japanese and all the people we’ve forgiven?”

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) likened the granting of amnesty to former insurgents to efforts that earned Nelson Mandela a Nobel prize. "Forgiveness," he said, "has been a major factor in what has been a political miracle in Africa."

Senator Saxby Chambliss argued that forgiveness had already been at work in Iraq, asking: “Is it not true today that we have Iraqis who are fighting the war against the insurgents, who at one time fought against American troops and other coalition troops as they were marching to Baghdad, who have now come over to our side and are doing one heck of a job of fighting along, side by side, with Americans and coalition forces, attacking and killing insurgents on a daily basis?"

Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and John Cornyn (R-TX) each took to the floor to argue that there should be no argument--that debate over whether or not to condemn the actions of the new government were merely distractions from real debate.

:puke: :puke:
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Can you imagine the hue and cry from the GOP and the M$M if Dem Senators had made those remarks?!?!

[partylessinOhio]

6. Well, first Putin, then al-Maliki.

Chimp should rethink that "look into their eyes and see their soul" routine.

[pinto]

7. Bush danced around this one at his Back from Baghdad presser

iirc. He morphed it into a vague monologue on the nature of reconciliation. But in private, the issue's got to be a thorn in the illusion of a united front. al-Maliki is between a rock and a hard place and having spent 20 years as an ex-pat may be playing catch up with the way things are...and Busboy's public comments sidestep the reality that somewhere down the road the issue will have to be dealt with.

I sure wish we'd have just given each Iraqi Ministry a few billion dollars for rebuilding the country after the Bush invasion and removed ourselves and our private contractors from the scene. I'm sure the movers and shakers in Baghdad have plenty of private contractors they could provide with no-bid contracts...But that is wishful hindsight along the lines of wish we never invaded in the first place. Sadly, what's done has been done.

I think we have to extricate ourselves from any notion of "solution", even at this late stage of the fiasco. We're not going to solve Iraq. Not directly. An Iraqi solution is the only lasting solution.