U.S. Ponders Alternatives To Iraq Governing Council

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17199-2003Nov8.html

Increasingly alarmed by the failure of Iraq's Governing Council to take decisive action, the Bush administration is developing possible alternatives to the council to ensure that the United States can turn over political power at the same time and pace that troops are withdrawn, according to senior U.S. officials here and in Baghdad.



The United States is deeply frustrated with its hand-picked council members because they have spent more time on their own political or economic interests than in planning for Iraq's political future, especially selecting a committee to write a new constitution, the officials added. "We're unhappy with all of them. They're not acting as a legislative or governing body, and we need to get moving," said a well-placed U.S. official who spoke on the condition anonymity. "They just don't make decisions when they need to."

Ambassador Robert Blackwill, the new National Security Council official overseeing Iraq's political transition, begins an unannounced trip this weekend to Iraq to meet with Iraqi politicians to drive home that point. He is also discussing U.S. options with L. Paul Bremer, civilian administrator of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, U.S. officials said.

The United States is even considering a French proposal, earlier rejected, to create an interim Iraqi leadership that would emulate the Afghan model, according to U.S. and French officials. During the debate before the new United Nations resolution on postwar Iraq was passed Oct. 17, France and other Security Council members had proposed holding a national conference -- like the Afghan loya jirga -- to select a provisional government that would have the rights of sovereignty.

Among several options, the administration is also considering changing the order of the transition if it looks as though it could drag on much longer than the United States had planned. The United States has long insisted that a new constitution was the essential first step and elections the final phase in handing over power.
>snip>

Bushco gives and Bushco taketh away...
This saga in history continues to redifine the word cluster-f*ck.

[MUAD_DIB]

1. ROFL

That second paragraph is just too rich!

"We're unhappy with all of them. They're not acting as a legislative or governing body, and we need to get moving,"

They're not on schedule to do what we want when we want. How do they expect to become a Democracy if they can't follow our orders??


LOL. Too rich!

[bemildred]

2. Sounds like we're ramping up a new PR campaign.

[w13rd0]

3. OMG...

...does anyone else find this...interesting...gee, they are unhappy with them because they are politicizing and engaging in severe cronyism...the Bush administration is unhappy with the Iraqi governing council because they are politicizing and engaging in severe cronyism...

...I mean, I feel like I need to repeat this over and over to wrap my mind around it. Roll that in with Hannity's "memo" about the Intelligence Oversight Committee, and now Frists basically declaring that if all of Congress can't go along with Bush, he'll just call the whole thing off??!?!!

Ok, I'm calming down now...deep breaths...deep breaths...cronyism and politicizing...oh, I GET IT. It's that they are doing so in their OWN interests, rather than the interests of the Bush regime...I see...it all makes sense now...

[Jacobin]

4. Um...okay...let's see...how 'bout a

military dictator!!!!!!!!!!!

YES. That'll do the trick.

Saddam number two about to be picked!!

Yeehaaawww. And its off to Syria to impose "democracy"

[MO_Dem]

5. Regime change, AGAIN??

Looks like ole Duhbya hisself is agonna hafta ta go over there and show them how to run a democracy the way he wants it run. Imagine those Iraqi's having the nerve to try to do things their way!

[Barrett808]

6. When the inevitable civil war breaks out, the US will support the Ba'ath

And, if they win (a big if), the US will install a Saddam clone.

But Halliburton will have cleaned up!