Iraq's government collapsing around Maliki

[ck4829]

Everybody in Iraq -- politicians, political analysts, poets, scientists, porters - seems to agree that the U.S.-backed Iraqi government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is a total failure.

Security, basic services, and all measurable levels of Iraq's infrastructure are worse now than under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Nevertheless, the U.S., Britain and Iran all continue to support this government.

"Politicians in this country are the best at serving their personal interests, and that is what has kept al-Maliki in power," Amjad Hussein, an Iraqi journalist in Baghdad told IPS. "Wherever I go in Iraq, people complain of the very bad living conditions caused by the wrong policies of this government. Even those who voted for the (Shia) Iraqi coalition bite their fingers in regret for the support they gave to this group of people who have led the country into darkness."

Withdrawals from the government by individual ministers and by political groups was the first sign of the end of al-Maliki's political life, but the U.S. government has remained insistent on keeping al-Maliki at the top of Iraq's leadership.

...

On Aug. 1 Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc, the Accordance Front, announced its withdrawal from the splintering government, dealing another huge blow to al-Maliki's hopes of maintaining a unity government.

The Front has 44 of parliament's 275 seats, and its withdrawal from the 14-month-old government is the second such action by a faction. Five ministers loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr quit the government in April to protest al-Maliki's reluctance to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

One of the biggest blows to al-Maliki has come from the Iraqi army after Major General Babaker Zebari, a Kurd who was army chief of staff, resigned on Jul. 31 to leave for Kurdish controlled northern Iraq. The resignation of Maj. Gen Zebari was followed by the resignation of nine other generals in protest against "al-Maliki's interference with their professional work, and the weakness of the defence minister."

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/58943/

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. "Let Freedom Reign!"

[Hydra]

2. K&R

Raise you hand if you're surprised...

Anyone?

Puppet gov'ts uniformly suck, although I give credit to this one for refusing to approve the oil law.

I wonder when our furless leaders will give up on knocking gov'ts over and trying to put their lackeys in charge. It hasn't worked so well, and it concerns me somewhat that these "replacements" are usually tyrants.

[Rex]

3. I could make a funny quip, but this is bad knews folks.

Bad news.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Breaking: video capture of iraqi government collapsing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tNsJ6kDVbfk