Iraqis blast US congressman's war repayment idea

[Vi-Jay 218]

Source

Iraqis blast American congressman's suggestion Iraq repay US for war costs

Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press, On Sunday June 12, 2011, 3:14 pm EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The suggestion by a U.S. congressman that Iraq repay the United States for the money it has spent in the country has stirred anger, with an Iraqi lawmaker ridiculing the idea as "stupid" and others saying Iraqis should be compensated for the hardships they've endured.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from California, suggested during a trip to Baghdad with fellow lawmakers Friday that once Iraq becomes a rich and prosperous country, it could repay the U.S.

That comment triggered outrage among an Iraqi public and political establishment that had little or no say in the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. Iraqis are largely glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein but blame the U.S. for the chaos and sectarian violence that followed the invasion.

"We as a government reject such statements, and we have informed the American embassy that these congressmen are not welcome in Iraq," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Sunday.

Al-Dabbagh said the government was also upset by comments from the six-member congressional delegation about an Iranian opposition group based in Iraq.

The American lawmakers came to Iraq to investigate the deaths of 34 members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran during an April 8 Iraqi army raid on the group's headquarters, known as Camp Ashraf.

The Iranian exiles were given refuge by Saddam, but have since become an irritant to Iraq's Shiite-led government, which has ties to Shiite power Iran and would like to see the group gone.

But it was Rohrabacher's comments about repayment that resonated most with Iraqis who have suffered through years of war.

The head of the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee, Humam Hmoudi, called his comments "stupid" and said it is the Iraqi people who should be demanding compensation.

"This provokes us and the Iraqi people as well to demand compensations for losses Iraq suffered during the invasion," he said.

Another lawmaker from one of the main political blocs, Etab al-Douri, called the repayment idea a "humiliation."

"We are the ones who should ask for compensation and not them, and we demand the occupiers to withdraw now," she said.

The blowup comes at a particularly sensitive time in the U.S.-Iraq relationship. Iraq is weighing whether to ask U.S. troops to stay in the country longer. There are currently about 47,000 American troops in Iraq, and U.S. officials have been pushing Iraq to decide if they want a U.S. military presence past Dec. 31.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he thinks the U.S. would agree to staying longer in Iraq if asked.

Al-Dabbagh played down the suggestion that Rohrabacher's comments would have any long-term effect on U.S.-Iraq relations. He described Rohrabacher's comments as a personal statement from a congressman who was trying to make himself "famous."

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad sought to distance itself from Rohrabacher's comments.

Ambassador James F. Jeffrey emphasized in an interview with Iraqi state TV Sunday that the visiting congressmen do not speak for the U.S. administration and government. His comments were also distributed to the media by the U.S. Embassy.

"They don't collectively represent the views of the U.S. Congress but their own constituents and their own personal views of the situation," he said.

"It's good for me to hear what these congressmen have to say, and it's good for the Iraqi people as well because we have a strategic partnership, but there is no requirement for the Iraqi people to agree with what they heard," he said.

_____________________________________________________

So.., What's in it for us?

"Ask" the US to stay? How 'bout PAY the US to stay.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

What a novel idea.

"Invade my country on a complete and bogus lie, kill thousands and then charge me for it."

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sounds like yet more political grandstanding. Noone asked the US/UK to invade Iraq - you want to do it, you pay for it.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

A good read imo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucas/20110612/cm_ucas/highcostsofwagingwararenowbecomingclear;_ylt=AmqaRmxoJj8hS4eU80Qo6xayFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTNlbnJwdm0zBGFzc2V0A3VjYXMvMjAxMTA2MTIvaGlnaGNvc3Rzb2Z3YWdpbmd3YXJhcmVub3diZWNvbWluZ2NsZWFyBHBvcwM5BHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDaGlnaGNvc3Rzb2Z3

HIGH COSTS OF WAGING WAR ARE NOW BECOMING CLEAR

[Vi-Jay 218]

A good read imo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucas/20110612/cm_ucas/highcostsofwagingwararenowbecomingclear;_ylt=AmqaRmxoJj8hS4eU80Qo6xayFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTNlbnJwdm0zBGFzc2V0A3VjYXMvMjAxMTA2MTIvaGlnaGNvc3Rzb2Z3YWdpbmd3YXJhcmVub3diZWNvbWluZ2NsZWFyBHBvcwM5BHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDaGlnaGNvc3Rzb2Z3

HIGH COSTS OF WAGING WAR ARE NOW BECOMING CLEAR

Good read. Thanks.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So.., What's in it for us?

"Ask" the US to stay? How 'bout PAY the US to stay.

Say, would you welcome and entertain an Al Qaeda request to repay them for the cost they have incurred following their attack on our soil?

[Sc0tt28 26]

What a novel idea.

"Invade my country on a complete and bogus lie, kill thousands and then charge me for it."

Was Saddam's thumbing his nose at the UN resolutions following his invasion of Kuwait in 1990 a lie as well?

Did he not violate the No-Fly Zone repeatedly?

By your reasoning violating UN resolutions should be met with "Well...we didn't really mean it anyway...go ahead and kill whoever you want...we're too chicken to do anything to stop you."

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Was Saddam's thumbing his nose at the UN resolutions following his invasion of Kuwait in 1990 a lie as well?

Did he not violate the No-Fly Zone repeatedly?

By your reasoning violating UN resolutions should be met with "Well...we didn't really mean it anyway...go ahead and kill whoever you want...we're too chicken to do anything to stop you."

No, that's not what he said. There's a process in place to address non-compliance. An invasion w/o a mandate is not part of that process.

[Sc0tt28 26]

No, that's not what he said. There's a process in place to address non-compliance. An invasion w/o a mandate is not part of that process.

Like I said, just because the rest of the world is too cowardly to stop a tyrant, doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Was Saddam's thumbing his nose at the UN resolutions following his invasion of Kuwait in 1990 a lie as well?

Did he not violate the No-Fly Zone repeatedly?

By your reasoning violating UN resolutions should be met with "Well...we didn't really mean it anyway...go ahead and kill whoever you want...we're too chicken to do anything to stop you."

And what years did you serve in Iraq ?

Who gives two sh*ts what Saddam did ? Look at Iran, look at Sudan, look at just about any central African nation. Better yet look at Belarus.

Only an ignorant person would think it's a show of bravery to attack another nation for the fact said nation thumbed it's nose at the US, or any other country for that matter.

Lots of nations have thumbed their noses at the US. Russia has been doing it on a constant basis for years now yet we have failed to attack Russia. Now if the US wants to really go at it with an opponent that can give them a decent fight then I would think Russia or China would be #1 on some hillbilly list for peeps that suffer from lack of intelligence yet suffer from small ####### syndrome.

Now give me a flag to wave!

[Sc0tt28 26]

And what years did you serve in Iraq ?

I served in Iraq from April until October 2003 with the 49th Quartermaster Group from Fort Lee, Virginia and from December 2005 until December 2006 with the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. (The 4th ID has since moved to Ft. Carson, CO)

Thanks for asking and your welcome.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Sc0tt28

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Like I said, just because the rest of the world is too cowardly to stop a tyrant, doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.

The US has supported sh*t loads of tyrants. Like the one that was just ousted in Egypt a few months back, or the present one in Saudi Arabia. Pinochet in Chile ring any bells? Or how about the central American tyrants we have supported over the years?

Take some history classes first, and then post. While your at it do an economics 101 and maybe a google on "what country's have large oil deposits yet cannot stop the US from invading".

Edited June 13, 2011 by Why_Me

[Sc0tt28 26]

And what years did you serve in Iraq ?

Who gives two sh*ts what Saddam did ? Look at Iran, look at Sudan, look at just about any central African nation. Better yet look at Belarus.

Only an ignorant person would think it's a show of bravery to attack another nation for the fact said nation thumbed it's nose at the US, or any other country for that matter.

Lots of nations have thumbed their noses at the US. Russia has been doing it on a constant basis for years now yet we have failed to attack Russia. Now if the US wants to really go at it with an opponent that can give them a decent fight then I would think Russia or China would be #1 on some hillbilly list for peeps that suffer from lack of intelligence yet suffer from small ####### syndrome.

Now give me a flag to wave!

By the way, nobody said anything about thumbing their nose at the US. It was a UN resolution, not a US resolution. The US happened to be the only ones willing to do something about it.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

What a novel idea.

"Invade my country on a complete and bogus lie, kill thousands and then charge me for it."

You must be getting smarter, Kip, coz I'm agreeing with you more lately

[B_J 2,752]

And what years did you serve in Iraq ?

I served in Iraq from April until October 2003 with the 49th Quartermaster Group from Fort Lee, Virginia and from December 2005 until December 2006 with the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. (The 4th ID has since moved to Ft. Carson, CO)

Thanks for asking and your welcome.

You probably shouldn't try the "did you serve" tactic unless you know they didn't serve.