For Iraq‘s prime minister, a good-news day

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

CAIRO, Egypt - It was an impressive double whammy for Iraq ‘s new prime minister: first announcing the death of the country‘s most notorious terrorist, then getting approval for his government‘s final, key posts.

"The success we are looking for — a stable Iraq — requires more effort ... But we can say that we had a good start," the prime minister told his people at a televised news conference to announce al-Zarqawi‘s killing.

For an Iraqi public that — above all else — craves security, that pledge alone could create a huge pool of good will and support for al-Maliki. That is what he needs, almost everyone agrees, to take on Iraq‘s other, still-looming problems.

American officials have said repeatedly they cannot begin to withdraw U.S. troops until Iraq has a strong government and security forces that can control the violence. Al-Maliki cannot create those strong security forces until he gains his people‘s trust enough to support him when he does unpopular things like close down militias.

It‘s too soon to say whether that violence will abate just because of al-Zarqawi‘s death. His group pledged to press on with its "holy war," and two bombs that struck a market and a police patrol in Baghdad, just hours after the announcement, killed at least 19.

Al-Maliki, in fact, got a burst of spontaneous applause as he announced the death. He, in turn, went out of his way to credit assistance from Iraqi citizens — as if to make clear to his people that if they inform on the insurgents, they can have some effect.

The prime minister‘s naming of candidates to the remaining unfilled Cabinet posts just a short time later — while less dramatic — was no less a good omen.

Al-Mifarji, who is not affiliated with any party, told the 275-member parliament that he was thrown out of the military and Saddam Hussein ‘s outlawed Baath Party in 1991 after he criticized the invasion of Kuwait. He said he was convicted by a military court in 1994 and given a seven-year prison sentence.

Al-Bolani said he worked as an engineer in the Iraqi air force until 1999.

With the Cabinet posts now filled, al-Maliki can presumably turn to the still-overwhelming tasks ahead — including reining in militias and getting his Iraqi forces trained and cohesive enough to slowly take over from the U.S. military.

No one believes it will be easy.

Al-Maliki will need help from both his fellow Iraqis and other Arabs, all working to "take advantage of the gap left behind by al-Zarqawi to gain back his followers," said one political analyst, Mohammed El-Sayed of the Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo.

Thursday‘s events just made clear he‘s bound and determined to jump in and try.

http://www.localnewsleader.com/brocktown/s...lnews&id=193141

[slim 1,525]

Who knows, maybe someday the officials in the government will actually be elected by the people.... not appointed by those already in power.

Wait... are we talking about Iraq or the US.... doesn't matter does it?