IRAQ is coming apart at the seams.

[longknife]

by Bill Corcoran @ Corksphere blog. He is about as left-wing and anti-war as any blog I subscribe to but it's good to get another viewpoint. Here, he reports on something the Lame Street Media is ignoring and I fully agree with is supositions here.

54 killed and 237 wounded in Iraq bloodbath.

While FOX NEWS and three GOP Senators concentrate on destroying SUSAN RICE and her possible nomination as Secretary of State, Iraq is falling apart and it appears as though the 4,700 Americans killed in the Iraq was all for nothing.

Read more @ CORKSPHERE: Iraq Bloodbath: 54 Killed, 237 Wounded in Attacks against Shi’ite Pilgrims and Security Forces -- Antiwar.com

 

[RoccoR]

longknife, et al,

Actually, the Bill Corcoran article mere restates a portion of the Margaret Griffis, AntiWar.com article of November 29, 2012; at the cited link.

by Bill Corcoran @ Corksphere blog. He is about as left-wing and Antiwar as any blog I subscribe to but it's good to get another viewpoint. Here, he reports on something the Lame Street Media is ignoring and I fully agree with is supositions here.

54 killed and 237 wounded in Iraq bloodbath.

While FOX NEWS and three GOP Senators concentrate on destroying SUSAN RICE and her possible nomination as Secretary of State, Iraq is falling apart and it appears as though the 4,700 Americans killed in the Iraq was all for nothing.

Read more @ CORKSPHERE: Iraq Bloodbath: 54 Killed, 237 Wounded in Attacks against Shi’ite Pilgrims and Security Forces -- Antiwar.com

(COMMENT)

Don't be confused.

"The United States has no intention of determining the precise form of Iraq's new government. That choice belongs to the Iraqi people. Yet, we will ensure that one brutal dictator is not replaced by another. All Iraqis must have a voice in the new government, and all citizens must have their rights protected.

Rebuilding Iraq will require a sustained commitment from many nations, including our own: we will remain in Iraq as long as necessary, and not a day more."

It is not a real bloodbath; but the Iraq Intervention by the US/Coalition did not leave much of an improved country after the Post-Conflict Operations of CJTF-7/ORHA, MNFI, and USF-I; or seven years of civil/military assistance.

Nouri al-Maliki is the Prime Minister (PM) of an Islamic Republic; a bum of an official which once had US backing but is now an Iranian stooge. It is a corrupt government, brutal in nature, and nearly as close to a dictatorship as a government can be without actually being a dictatorship. The PM is using the US supplied and trained Iraqi security and police forces (ISF) to contain political rivals; and supplements the ISF with criminal gang members and violent militant factions to intimidate rival segments of the civilian population. It was not 24 hours after the last of USF-I withdrew and rolled into Kuwait, that the PM ordered the arrest of the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, accusing him of running a death squad that assassinated police officers and government officials.

The National Strategy for the Victory in Iraq, defined "victory" in three (3) Phases:
National Strategy for Victory in Iraq

• Short term:

Iraq needs to

• progress in fighting terrorists,
• meet political milestones,
• build democratic institutions, and
• foster the growing security forces.

• Medium term:

Iraq is in the lead

• defeating terrorists,
• providing its own security,
• fostering the constitutional government, and
• beginning economic development.

• Longer term:

Iraq should strive for being:

• peaceful,
• united,
• stable,
• secure,
• integrated into the international community, and
• a full partner in the global War on Terrorism.

Iraq may be destine for ethnic conflict in two aspects; Arab-Kurd and Shiite-Sunni. But it is clear that Iraq is not the nation that the US envisioned in 2003 or even 2005. One needs only compare the stated definition of "Victory" to the Iraq we find today.

You don't have to trust my evaluation. Do the comparison.

Most Respectfully,
R

 

[waltky]

Sectarian violence wiping out our hard-fought efforts toward bringing peace to Iraq...

Wave of car bombings in Iraq kills at least 58
July 29, 2013 - — More than a dozen explosions, mainly from car bombs, ripped through marketplaces, parking lots, a cafe and rush-hour crowds in Iraq on Monday, killing at least 58 people and pushing the country's death toll for the month of July toward the 700 mark, officials said.

The bombings — 18 in all — are part of a wave of bloodshed that has swept across the country since April, killing more than 3,000 people and worsening the already strained ties between Iraq's Sunni minority and the Shiite-led government. The scale and pace of the violence, unseen since the darkest days of the country's insurgency, have fanned fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodletting that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

With two days left in July, the month's death toll now stands at 680, according to an Associated Press count. Most of those have come during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that began July 10, making it Iraq's bloodiest since 2007. "Iraq is bleeding from random violence, which sadly reached record heights during the holy month of Ramadan," said acting U.N. envoy to Iraq, Gyorgy Busztin. He said the killings could push the country "back into sectarian strife," and called for immediate and decisive action to stop the "senseless bloodshed."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks, but the Interior Ministry blamed al-Qaida's Iraqi branch and accused it of trying to widen the rift between Sunnis and Shiites. "The country is now facing a declared war waged by bloody sectarian groups that aim at flooding the country with chaos and reigniting the civil strife," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website. Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida's Iraqi branch, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, frequently use coordinated blasts like those on Monday to try to break Iraqis' confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir up sectarian tensions.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad condemned Monday's attacks, and stressed that the United States "stands firmly with Iraq in its fight against terrorism." Iraq's violence escalated after an April crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest camp in the northern town of Hawija that killed 44 civilians and a member of the security forces, according to U.N. estimates. The bloodshed is linked to rising sectarian divisions between Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites as well as friction between Arabs and Kurds, dampening hopes for a return to normalcy nearly two years after U.S. forces withdrew from the country. Monday's attacks stretched from Mosul in the north to Baghdad in central Iraq and Basra in the south.

- See more at: Wave of car bombings in Iraq kills at least 58 | CNS News

 

[Smilebong]

by Bill Corcoran @ Corksphere blog. He is about as left-wing and anti-war as any blog I subscribe to but it's good to get another viewpoint. Here, he reports on something the Lame Street Media is ignoring and I fully agree with is supositions here.

54 killed and 237 wounded in Iraq bloodbath.

While FOX NEWS and three GOP Senators concentrate on destroying SUSAN RICE and her possible nomination as Secretary of State, Iraq is falling apart and it appears as though the 4,700 Americans killed in the Iraq was all for nothing.

Read more @ CORKSPHERE: Iraq Bloodbath: 54 Killed, 237 Wounded in Attacks against Shi’ite Pilgrims and Security Forces -- Antiwar.com

I think we all knew that it wouldn't last.

 

[Sallow]

Guess that old nation building thingie didn't work out so well.

 

[waltky]

Sectarian violence shootin' Iraq in the foot...

Iraq is bleeding U.N. envoy says
Tuesday 30th July, 2013 -- It's up to political leaders in Iraq to ensure the country pulls back from the brink of widespread sectarian violence, a U.N. special envoy said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was alarmed by the recent scale of violence in Iraq. At least 45 people were killed in more than a dozen bombings across the country Monday. Most of the bombings targeted Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad.

Ban issued a statement through his spokesman saying Iraq was on the cusp of sliding into a sectarian war. "Iraq is at another crossroads," he said Monday. "Its political leaders have a clear responsibility to bring the country back from the brink, and to leave no space to those who seek to exploit the political stalemate through violence and terror."

The United Nations estimates at least 700 people were killed in acts of violence in Iraq in July. Violence in Iraq is at a scale not seen since it teetered on the brink of civil war during the height of the insurgency more than five years ago.

The United Nations praised previous efforts by Iraqi leaders to find a political solution to the violence. Acting special envoy Gyorgy Busztin said the wave of attacks was particularly alarming, however, as they occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "Iraq is bleeding from random violence," he said from Baghdad.

Source

 

[KevinWestern]

by Bill Corcoran @ Corksphere blog. He is about as left-wing and anti-war as any blog I subscribe to but it's good to get another viewpoint. Here, he reports on something the Lame Street Media is ignoring and I fully agree with is supositions here.

54 killed and 237 wounded in Iraq bloodbath.

While FOX NEWS and three GOP Senators concentrate on destroying SUSAN RICE and her possible nomination as Secretary of State, Iraq is falling apart and it appears as though the 4,700 Americans killed in the Iraq was all for nothing.

Read more @ CORKSPHERE: Iraq Bloodbath: 54 Killed, 237 Wounded in Attacks against Shi’ite Pilgrims and Security Forces -- Antiwar.com

What a sad mess. I couldn't even imagine being raised in a country like that.

I'm a bit cynical, and believe the war was started not for the "good of the people of Iraq" but rather as a vehicle for making large powerful interests a lot of money. I wonder how some of the decision makers can sleep at night knowing that the money that purchased their big homes and a nice relaxing life came at the cost of destabilizing a nation and killing scores in the process.

.

 

[rdean]

by Bill Corcoran @ Corksphere blog. He is about as left-wing and anti-war as any blog I subscribe to but it's good to get another viewpoint. Here, he reports on something the Lame Street Media is ignoring and I fully agree with is supositions here.

54 killed and 237 wounded in Iraq bloodbath.

While FOX NEWS and three GOP Senators concentrate on destroying SUSAN RICE and her possible nomination as Secretary of State, Iraq is falling apart and it appears as though the 4,700 Americans killed in the Iraq was all for nothing.

Read more @ CORKSPHERE: Iraq Bloodbath: 54 Killed, 237 Wounded in Attacks against Shi’ite Pilgrims and Security Forces -- Antiwar.com

What a sad mess. I couldn't even imagine being raised in a country like that.

I'm a bit cynical, and believe the war was started not for the "good of the people of Iraq" but rather as a vehicle for making large powerful interests a lot of money. I wonder how some of the decision makers can sleep at night knowing that the money that purchased their big homes and a nice relaxing life came at the cost of destabilizing a nation and killing scores in the process.

.

A country like that?

Destabilize government.

Arm everyone.

Church rule.

Hatred of minorities.

No women's rights.

Suppress voter's rights.

No health care.

Hmmm, now where have I heard this dreadful ideology before?

 

[Sunni Man]

Saddam had Iraq under control.

But the zionist leadership of Israel wanted Iraq broken up and weakened.

And tasked it's 'bitch' the U.S with the job.

So under the guise of revenge for 9/11 and patriotism the idea was sold to the American public.

The U.S. gained nothing for it's invasion and effort; except a trillion $ in debt and tens of thousands of soldiers killed or wounded.

But Israel had it's goal of a destabilized Iraq realized without spending a sheqel or losing a single soldier. ...

 

[KevinWestern]

A country like that?

Destabilize government.

Arm everyone.

Church rule.

Hatred of minorities.

No women's rights.

Suppress voter's rights.

No health care.

Hmmm, now where have I heard this dreadful ideology before?

Doesn’t sound like an ideology I’m familiar with.


.

 

[Mr Natural]

A trillion dollars well spent.

/sarcasm

Happy now?

 

[Sunni Man]

A trillion dollars well spent.

What about the 5,000+ U.S. soldiers killed and 30,000+ wounded?

Was that also worth it?? ..

 

[Desperado]

A trillion dollars well spent.

On what? Even George Bush and Dick Cheney could not say that with a straight face.

 

[KevinWestern]

A trillion dollars well spent.

/sarcasm

Happy now?

Haha. Thought it was pretty obvious, but then started reading some comments by others...


.

 

[Desperado]

A trillion dollars well spent.

/sarcasm

Happy now?

I missed the sarcasm.... Not your fault.
Just a sore subject with me.

 

[Sunni Man]

A trillion dollars well spent.

/sarcasm

Happy now?

I missed the sarcasm.... Not your fault.
Just a sore subject with me.

Same here.........

 

[rdean]

A country like that?

Destabilize government.

Arm everyone.

Church rule.

Hatred of minorities.

No women's rights.

Suppress voter's rights.

No health care.

Hmmm, now where have I heard this dreadful ideology before?

Doesn’t sound like an ideology I’m familiar with.


.

I don't know. I seem to have heard all this before.

 

[rdean]

There were people who said Iraq would be a fiasco. I remember how the press roasted and marginalized them. Many had titles like "Professor of History". Turns out they were right. All the name calling from the right wing accusing good and smart Americans of being on the side of the terrorists. Turns out it was Bush and the Republicans who caused the deaths and maiming of tens of thousands of Americans. Depleted our military. Ruined our economy. Trashed our standing world wide. And spent our country into oblivion rebuilding a country that threw old shoes at our president. The worst insult they could. Republicans and Bush did that. No one else. They said the had "proof" and "information". They didn't. They lied.

And the lies haven't even slowed.

 

[KevinWestern]

There were people who said Iraq would be a fiasco. I remember how the press roasted and marginalized them. Many had titles like "Professor of History". Turns out they were right. All the name calling from the right wing accusing good and smart Americans of being on the side of the terrorists. Turns out it was Bush and the Republicans who caused the deaths and maiming of tens of thousands of Americans. Depleted our military. Ruined our economy. Trashed our standing world wide. And spent our country into oblivion rebuilding a country that threw old shoes at our president. The worst insult they could. Republicans and Bush did that. No one else. They said the had "proof" and "information". They didn't. They lied.

And the lies haven't even slowed.

If we're gonna get technical (which we should here), no one would have gone to war if the Democrats didn't also vote "yes".

There was a vote.

They're corrupt on both sides of the aisle. Don't forget that.


.

 

[longknife]

Everything I've been reading says the central government continues to lose control of the Sunni/Shiia conflict. The Kurds stand to one side but are having problems with Turkey.

And, an official Iraqi announcement today says they're considering an $18BILLION purchase of US weapons and equipment.