Shi'ite rivals say Bush wants Iraq PM Jaafari out

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A senior Iraqi politician from a rival Shi'ite party to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said on Tuesday that U.S. President George W. Bush had made clear he did not want Jaafari to lead a new government of national unity.


Bush had written to Shi'ite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim urging him to nominate someone else, Rida Jawad al-Takki, an aide to Hakim, said in a statement telephoned to Reuters.

Takki said the letter was transmitted by U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been trying to broker agreement among Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni Arab leaders on a unity government.

" George Bush sent a letter via Khalilzad to Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, as head of the Alliance, telling him that George Bush does not wish or want Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be prime minister," Takki, who is from Hakim's SCIRI party, said.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060328/ts_nm/iraq_usa_jaafari_dc;_

[rodeodance]

1. I imagine this will speed up the process of Iraq forming a gov?? (NOT)

[LynnTheDem]

2. "Sovereignty"? LOL! "Democracy"? LOL! "Elections"? LOL!

"America under bush"? :rofl:

[acmavm]

3. I'm sure that the first thought in the mind of every Iraqi man,

woman, and child is "What does george bush** want and how can we give it to him?" :sarcasm:

[Canuckistanian]

4. Install a puppet leader, remove a puppet leader....

Whew! This is hard work. Time for another Crawford vacation!

[maddezmom]

5. * to speak in the Rose Garden about Iraq in the next hour

wonder if anyone will ask him about this letter?

[VegasWolf]

6. Poor Bushy!! Things not going well for the Christo-Oil Empire? nt

[OKNancy]

7. Kick

[ECH1969]

8. Bush tells Iraqi P.M. to step down

The Bush administration has told Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari he is unacceptable as head of the next government, the New York Times reports.

Redha Jowad Taki, a member of parliament, told the Times that U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad passed on a personal message from President Bush at a meeting last Saturday. Taki, who was at the meeting, said Khalilzad told Shiite leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim that Bush doesn't want, doesn't support, doesn't accept Jaafari.

Jaafari and other Shiite leaders are not taking the message well.

http://story.malaysiasun.com/p.x/ct/9/cid/b8de8e630faf3631/id/c06d2e64fca09f08/

[Taguba]

9. And the True Iraqi Democracy shows its ugly head. will it get cut off??

[bullimiami]

10. "Im George Bush and when I said democracy I meant it!"

Nope you can have al jaafari, not acceptable. you have to democratically elect someone else i like.


oh look, same shit he pulled in afghanistan, same shit different country.

[UpInArms]

21. "I'm George Bush and I say that I am King of the World!" ... eom

[IsItJustMe]

11. It's all starting to quickly unravel. With over 130,000 troops over there

This is not good.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. Bush orders a foreign head of state to resign?

Un-friggin-believeable. The arrogance of that prick is beyond belief.

[stellanoir]

13. Yet another staggeringly brilliant diplomat stroke

Ughhhh

Or how to win hearts and minds * style, through total intimidation.

[NanceGreggs]

14. Well, there's DEMOCRACY for you ...

... BUSHIE-STYLE!!!

This going to work out REALLY WELL, don't you think?

[The_Casual_Observer]

15. Let freedom reign!

[Stuckinthebush]

16. Oh my! And THIS is democracy????

I guess it is democracy Bush-style.

:eyes:

[Julius Civitatus]

17. But... but... they told me Iraq is a "real" democracy now...

...and that we are not there to tell them what to do...
...and that we can leave whenever they ask us to leave...

and... and...

:puke:

[Der Blaue Engel]

18. Der Blaue Engel tells Bush to step down

Engel has told U.S. pResident George W. Bush he is unacceptable as head of the U.S. government, Democratic Underground reports.

[truthisfreedom]

22. hmm. previous administrations would have started with "president suggests

leader should step down." this stuff is what makes everyone view the administration as dictatorial... which they are.

[JeffR]

19. Poor Shrubya

Couldn't become dictator of the United States, so he has to settle for being dictator of Iraq.

[pinniped]

20. Boy monkey is itching to be the new viceroy.

.

[davepc]

23. National Sovereignty is a wonderful thing!

[davhill]

24. An Unelected Leader Like Bush

Naturally, has no idea of the definition of democracy.

[IndianaGreen]

25. By attacking the Shia mosque in Baghdad, Bush has strengthened Jaafari

Here is an excellent piece published by Al-Jazeera about Iraq's civil war and the influence of the ayatollahs:

Iraqi civil war threatens region

By Firas Al-Atraqchi

Saturday 18 March 2006, 15:07 Makka Time, 12:07 GMT

Aljazeera.net: How does the current situation in Iraq bode for the region?

As'ad AbuKhalil: The repercussions of the Iraq debacle are very likely to affect more places in the Middle East, not less. There is now an explosion, literally, of militant fanatical groups that are bent on destroying the ties of amity and brotherhood between Sunnis and Shia. One can see that this was effective.

The latest International Crisis Group (report) points out the cynical and destructive ways by which the US administration manipulated Iraqi social, sectarian, ethnic, and tribal divisions for its own sake.

Having failed to shore up support for its favourite "secular" clients, the US occupation armed and empowered lethal sectarian Shia groups that were bent on revenge.

<snip>

Bush, far from being remembered for establishing democracy in Iraq, will most likely be remembered as the man who brought ayatollahs' rule to Iraq, next door to Iran.

The ayatollahs' regional empire will have Bush's footprints on it. The region as a whole will continue to be affected.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E55D1D9B-7BE0-466D-BDEC-8952F67F61A9.htm

[Roland99]

26. Are Limbaugh and Hannity asking for copies of this letter?