No Date for Iraqi Gov. Council - Bremer cancels news conference

[doxieone]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAW5KWM1ID.html

[Rose Siding]

1. Aside from the mention of a reporter seeing some tanks...

there is nothing in this article that isn't part of an official release from the govt/military.

Are the reporters not even on SPEAKING terms with anyone else in Iraq besides whichever govt official hands them the release?

[AnnabelLee]

2. From the article:

Several international media outlets had reported the council would be named this weekend, and U.S. officials said Iraq's American administrator, L. Paul Bremer, would hold a news conference Saturday where he was expected to announce the makeup of the council. The meeting with reporters, however, was canceled early Saturday and no reason was given.

"We are in the final stages of getting the Governance Council together," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. There is "no definite date. It will take as long as it takes."

Does anybody else think the initial announcement was made only for purposes of garnering a favorable headline?

[NYC]

5. I notice the verb "appoint" has disappeared from discussions

of the council.

[barbaraann]

3. Didn't Rummy also say "It will take as long as it takes"

in reference to Iraq? Basically, that means, "we will do whatever we want to do and we could care less what you think."

This is not democracy.

[I AM SPARTACUS]

4. hold on a second there...this headline's a bit off...

"Iraqi council holds first meeting as Bush under fire from US Dems"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=10038&mesg_id=10038&page=

[NYC]

6. PREPARED to hold its meeting...

Iraq's first representative body since Saddam Hussein fell from power prepared to hold its inaugural meeting as attacks on US troops continued more than three months since the end of the war.

(Excerpt from the link you provided.)

[karlschneider]

8. Good eye, I missed that at first quick scan...

;-)

[karlschneider]

7. Very strange...MSNBC just now reported the same as the first one...

"cancelled...no date set yet"
:wtf:
:crazy:

[w4rma]

9. My understanding of the situation

Bush wants to "privatize" Iraq's oil by giving it to formerly U.S./now Cayman Islands-based oil corporations. It will be tougher for him to give the oil to his special intrests if he allows the U.N. to help us.

Also, he seems to want to install an Iraqi government who will allow these Cayman Islands-based oil companies to walk all over the Iraqis. We need to help the Iraqis set up a true democratic republic that allows the Iraqis to vote and fight by changing minds instead of assassinating whatever dictator is there. Provisions for a free-press, free-speech and a fair vote must be there and the Iraqis need to decide most of the rest. Their government needs a strong foundation with strong checks and balances to make it as hard as possible for a dictator to take control, that we help build, for them to build the rest on.

Then we need to pull out and buy some of our oil from the state-run Iraqi oil services (you can't privitize the oil, because who would you give it's ownership to? The Iraqis, but if all the Iraqis own it, then that means that it might-as-well be run by the government that they will own so that they can vote in changes to how it is run and how the revenues will help support the other public works such as water, police, fire, road building/maintanance and power).