Iraqi Government to Offer Peace Deal

[kerrygoddess]

Iraqi Government to Offer Peace Deal
June 23rd, 2006 @ 1:27 am

We hate to say we told you so… Contrary to what Dick Cheney and the Republicans say, they really don’t want us there…

The Democrats were right. Senators Kerry and Feingold were right. “Stay the course” was not only wrong, but the Iraqi government wants us out.

The Times UK reports, “THE Iraqi Government will announce a sweeping peace plan as early as Sunday in a last-ditch effort to end the Sunni insurgency that has taken the country to the brink of civil war.”

The 28-point package for national reconciliation will offer Iraqi resistance groups inclusion in the political process and an amnesty for their prisoners if they renounce violence and lay down their arms, The Times can reveal.

The Government will promise a finite, UN-approved timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq; a halt to US operations against insurgent strongholds; an end to human rights violations, including those by coalition troops; and compensation for victims of attacks by terrorists or Iraqi and coalition forces.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=3404

[Island Blue]

1. As Sen. John Warner said to Sen. John Kerry

on Wednesday, "Timing in life is everyting Senator". Hmmm. Perhaps you're right Sen. Warner, perhaps you're right!

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P




Edited to add 13 smiley faces with tounges sticking out!

[_dynamicdems]

2. Sure is.

The quote that comes to mind is:

"What are they, cutting and running on themselves?" - JK

[karynnj]

6. I love that quote - that is soooo Kerry

Seriously - if given the quote and asked to guess, we'd all know who to guess.

[ginnyinWI]

8. lol

That was a great line! :) :)

[ProSense]

3. Looks like the Iraqis have a solution to ending

Lieberman's war U.S. occupation.

[beachmom]

4. Oh my God, you guys. This is an endorsement for Kerry's plan.

This part:

Mr al-Talabani told The Times that after a “summit” in Baghdad about a month ago the groups made clear their willingness to commence talks with the Iraqi Government, although he was awaiting a formal response.

Kerry called for a summit back in April.

The draft marks the first time the Iraqi Government has endorsed a fixed timeline for the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq, a key demand of the Sunni insurgency.

“We must agree on a timed schedule to pull out the troops from Iraq, while at the same time building up the Iraqi forces that will guarantee Iraqi security and this must be supported by a United Nations Security Council decision,” the document reads.

Kerry said that the U.N. needed to be involved -- so here they are as KEY to this agreement.

One insurgent group involved in the discussions told The Times that the timetable for withdrawing foreign troops was key. “We are not against the formation of the new Iraqi goverment, but with certain conditions, which are to put a timetable for the pullout of US Troops," Abu Fatma, from the Islamic National Front for Liberation of Iraq, said.

Here we see that the withdrawal of American troops are KEY. Kerry quoted Gen. Casey about the large presence of troops feeding the notion of occupation. The only way to stop that trend is to withdraw them. The above paragraph endorses this concept.


Look, I realize there are political games to be played. But I JUST DON'T CARE. Because KERRY WAS RIGHT. And the Iraqis and other players LISTENED to HIS PLAN. There is no doubt in my mind that people used his ideas. That's called leadership. And it may contribute to the ending of violence in Iraq. I feel honored to have taken even a small part in this. This is REALLY good news.


(Just sent this story to Andrew Sullivan. I told him that if he's dismayed with the Kerry/Feingold amendment, that ALSO means he's dismayed with the Iraqi government Peace Plan)

[karynnj]

7. I'm cautious enough to wish that rather than this

pre announcement, they just officially came out with this. I worry that Bush will attempt to pressure the Iraqis. (It's clear that Bush doesn't really consider them as sovereign.)

This is really good news if true. The other thing is that Kerry needs to make sure people SEE that this is what he called for. Biden really didn't help on this.

[beachmom]

5. Winners and Losers

Winners: Democratic base, the non-extremist anti-war movement, John Kerry, Russ Feingold and all other Democrats who voted for Kerry/Feingold amendment, Levin and Reed plus all who voted for that amendment (they're not as MUCH of a winner, but they were at least moving in the direction of what this Peace Plan represents), liberal blogosphere that actively supported a withdrawal of troops.

Losers: George Bush, the Republican party (pretty much ALL of them), most establishment pundits, all of the MSM, al Qaeda (their Iraq game now has a deadline, and in a couple of years, we'll actually be more focussed on THEM, not Iraq).

BIGGEST WINNERS: The Iraqi people and American troops

Sub-losers: Joe Biden - his partition of Iraq plan is officially dead
John McCain -- his send in more troops plan is officially dead
The Cut and Run slogan -- once the plan is in place, this will
have to be retired

The losers will fight back -- George Bush will act like this was his idea in the first place. The MSM will trumpet his claim. But we'll know the truth. Kerry was right.

[ginnyinWI]

10. Well thanks to the RW spin machine,

I think a LOT of people will know it was the Kerry-Feingold plan. Didn't they make a point of ridiculing it and giving it lots of negative air-time? Anyway, it's part of the Congressional record now.
There may be a few Dems who now wish they'd voted for it.

I'd be tempted to guess that Kerry knew this was coming and got out ahead of it--but he's been offering these ideas for a long time now. It's just simply the smartest, most practical way to solve the problem.

Given that this is probably the most disasterous foreign policy move this country has ever done, it's remarkable that JK's plan and the Iraqi plan are so similar. A debacle this bad isn't easy to fix.

[karynnj]

11. They left out the diplomatic piece among other things in their coverage

I'm not so surprised that at the surface level they are similar - those are the essential pieces. When Kerry first spoke in April - unexpected people agreed.

[ginnyinWI]

9. I wonder how the * cabal is going to wiggle out of this one.

They've said they will leave it up to the Iraqis, no? So here are the Iraqis coming up with a timetable for withdrawal!
We know they don't want to leave until the last buck is squeezed out of the place and the last terrorist killed.

What, do they think there are only a limited number of terrorists? It's the gift that keeps on giving--like whack-a-mole. I think they know this--it works for them. The terrorists never end, and they never have to leave. (and yes I know it's only about 2% of the problem--but they're counting on us not to know that).

[beachmom]

12. Radio silence about this everywhere

True -- it's only a leak, but it's in two major British publications. Andrew Sullivan is British and has his columns published in The Times, yet he has chosen to ignore this story I sent him.

If the Iraqis announce this Sunday, then I suppose the MSM will have no choice but report it. Right?

[Mass]

13. wrong place.