Breaking News: Iraqi Lawmakers Pass Resolution That May Force End of Occupation This Year

[one...two...tree 2,762]

While most observers are focused on the U.S. Congress as it continues to issue new rubber stamps to legitimize Bush's permanent designs on Iraq, nationalists in the Iraqi parliament --now representing a majority of the body -- continue to make progress toward bringing an end to their country's occupation.

The parliament today passed a binding resolution that will guarantee lawmakers an opportunity to block the extension of the UN mandate under which coalition troops now remain in Iraq when it comes up for renewal in December. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose cabinet is dominated by Iraqi separatists, may veto the measure.

The law requires that any future extensions of the mandate, which have previously been made by Iraq's Prime Minister, be approved by the parliament. It is an enormous development; lawmakers reached in Baghdad today said that they do in fact plan on blocking the extension of the coalition's mandate when it comes up for renewal six months from now.

Reached today by phone in Baghdad, Nassar al Rubaie, the head of Al-Sadr bloc in Iraq's Council of Representatives, said, "this new binding resolution will prevent the government from renewing the UN mandate without the parliament's permission. They'll need to come back to us by the end of the year, and we will definitely refuse to extend the UN mandate without conditions." Rubaie added: "there will be no such a thing as a blank check for renewing the UN mandate anymore, any renewal will be attached to a timetable for a complete withdrawal."

Without the cover of the UN mandate, the continued presence of coalition troops in Iraq would become, in law as in fact, an armed occupation, at which point it would no longer be politically tenable to support it. While polls show that most Iraqis consider U.S. forces to be occupiers rather than liberators or peace-keepers -- 92 percent of respondents said as much in a 2004 survey by the Independent Institute for Administration and Civil Society Studies -- the UN mandate confers an aura of legitimacy on the continuing presence of foreign troops on Iraq's streets, even four years after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

http://alternet.org/module/printversion/53230

[JoeMama 0]

I know the job's nowhere near being finished there. But it will be good to bring our troops home where they belong! We've lost too many and they deserve much better for their dedication!

[GaryC 7]

Hmmm.... I just searched CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Foxnews and Drudge and this isn't mentioned anywhere. Do you have a supporting link? Judging from the tone of this piece it looks like a anti-Bush spoof.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Hmmm.... I just searched CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Foxnews and Drudge and this isn't mentioned anywhere. Do you have a supporting link? Judging from the tone of this piece it looks like a anti-Bush spoof.

No spoofin (did you try the link?). Try a Google search on Iraqi parliament coverage or something to that sort.

[GaryC 7]

Hmmm.... I just searched CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Foxnews and Drudge and this isn't mentioned anywhere. Do you have a supporting link? Judging from the tone of this piece it looks like a anti-Bush spoof.

No spoofin (did you try the link?). Try a Google search on Iraqi parliament coverage or something to that sort.

Yes I looked at the link you posted. Never heard of these guys. I did a google search and a yahoo search and all I come up with is the same story you posted by the same people. It seems that if this were true it would be front page news everywhere.

[PlatyPius 5]

Hmmm.... I just searched CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Foxnews and Drudge and this isn't mentioned anywhere. Do you have a supporting link? Judging from the tone of this piece it looks like a anti-Bush spoof.

No spoofin (did you try the link?). Try a Google search on Iraqi parliament coverage or something to that sort.

Yes I looked at the link you posted. Never heard of these guys. I did a google search and a yahoo search and all I come up with is the same story you posted by the same people. It seems that if this were true it would be front page news everywhere.

Of course you haven't heard of it....

From their "About" page:

II. The Challenge We Address

The right-wing media machine: Virtually everyone who has a stake in our political future agrees that when compared to the radical conservatives and the religious fundamentalists, the progressive sector lacks media capacity. The scope of conservative media is vast, including Fox News, Sinclair, major right-wing talk radio market penetration, many newspapers, a fast-growing religious broadcasting system, and sophisticated use of the Internet and new technologies. The ability of the right-wing media apparatus to dominate public discourse is at the expense of liberal and progressive values and represents a fundamental transformation in American politics. This is what we are fighting against.

The negative impact of right-wing media: Over the past two decades conservative media has had a huge impact, and the results are disconcerting. First, most conservative media uses an ideological propaganda model that results in a more ignorant audience. One recent study showed that 80% of Fox viewers got the facts all wrong about the war in Iraq. Not only did they believe that Saddam Hussein had a chemical arsenal, they thought U.S. troops had actually discovered it and they believed the 9/11 Commission had beyond a doubt linked Hussein with al-Qaeda. Only 23% of the NPR/PBS audience held these misconceptions, and the percentage was even lower among those who get their news from the Internet.

Building the progressive echo chamber: The top-down delivery model of right-wing rhetoric (e.g. "death tax," "culture of life") traces a path directly from the White House and conservative think tanks, to Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and a whole host of conservative talk shows. These messages are repeated and further reinforced on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers, creating a right wing echo chamber. AlterNet is working hard with many partners to build the progressive echo chamber that will fight back.

Anyway...I'd be happy for us to get the hell out of Iraq.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Hmmm.... I just searched CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Foxnews and Drudge and this isn't mentioned anywhere. Do you have a supporting link? Judging from the tone of this piece it looks like a anti-Bush spoof.

No spoofin (did you try the link?). Try a Google search on Iraqi parliament coverage or something to that sort.

Yes I looked at the link you posted. Never heard of these guys. I did a google search and a yahoo search and all I come up with is the same story you posted by the same people. It seems that if this were true it would be front page news everywhere.

Here's one of the first hits I got from Googling, Gary.

Washington Post - as picked up by Winston-Salem Journal (and others)

http://tinyurl.com/2zyw7w

“The draft bill would create a timeline for a gradual departure, much as some Democrats in the United States have demanded, and require the Iraqi government to secure parliament’s approval before any extensions of the United Nations mandate for foreign forces in Iraq, which expires at the end of 2007.”

“The draft bill is being championed by a 30-member bloc loyal to al-Sadr, but it has support from some other Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish legislators. So far, at least 138 legislators have signed the draft, the slimmest possible majority in the 275-member parliament...”

So the question remains - what if the Iraqi parliament actually passed a law or resolution requiring a timeline for US withdrawal - at least in theory, before the US mission is “complete” and/or we have claimed “victory?”

http://www.plnewsforum.com/index.php/forum...ewthread/18375/

[GaryC 7]

If it were true then I would be all for bringing the troops home. The government of Iraq has the final say so if we stay or leave. If they want us to go then I would say we should go. I seriously doubt that they are going to ask for that any time soon though.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

If it were true then I would be all for bringing the troops home. The government of Iraq has the final say so if we stay or leave. If they want us to go then I would say we should go. I seriously doubt that they are going to ask for that any time soon though.

Then this is a truly remarkable day! wow! Gary, I thought I'd never hear that from you.

[GaryC 7]

If it were true then I would be all for bringing the troops home. The government of Iraq has the final say so if we stay or leave. If they want us to go then I would say we should go. I seriously doubt that they are going to ask for that any time soon though.

Then this is a truly remarkable day! wow! Gary, I thought I'd never hear that from you.

Time will tell. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to ask us to leave. But if it came we would have to respect their wishes.

[GaryC 7]

Hmmm.... I just searched CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Foxnews and Drudge and this isn't mentioned anywhere. Do you have a supporting link? Judging from the tone of this piece it looks like a anti-Bush spoof.

No spoofin (did you try the link?). Try a Google search on Iraqi parliament coverage or something to that sort.

Yes I looked at the link you posted. Never heard of these guys. I did a google search and a yahoo search and all I come up with is the same story you posted by the same people. It seems that if this were true it would be front page news everywhere.

Of course you haven't heard of it....

From their "About" page:

II. The Challenge We Address

The right-wing media machine: Virtually everyone who has a stake in our political future agrees that when compared to the radical conservatives and the religious fundamentalists, the progressive sector lacks media capacity. The scope of conservative media is vast, including Fox News, Sinclair, major right-wing talk radio market penetration, many newspapers, a fast-growing religious broadcasting system, and sophisticated use of the Internet and new technologies. The ability of the right-wing media apparatus to dominate public discourse is at the expense of liberal and progressive values and represents a fundamental transformation in American politics. This is what we are fighting against.

The negative impact of right-wing media: Over the past two decades conservative media has had a huge impact, and the results are disconcerting. First, most conservative media uses an ideological propaganda model that results in a more ignorant audience. One recent study showed that 80% of Fox viewers got the facts all wrong about the war in Iraq. Not only did they believe that Saddam Hussein had a chemical arsenal, they thought U.S. troops had actually discovered it and they believed the 9/11 Commission had beyond a doubt linked Hussein with al-Qaeda. Only 23% of the NPR/PBS audience held these misconceptions, and the percentage was even lower among those who get their news from the Internet.

Building the progressive echo chamber: The top-down delivery model of right-wing rhetoric (e.g. "death tax," "culture of life") traces a path directly from the White House and conservative think tanks, to Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and a whole host of conservative talk shows. These messages are repeated and further reinforced on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers, creating a right wing echo chamber. AlterNet is working hard with many partners to build the progressive echo chamber that will fight back.

Anyway...I'd be happy for us to get the hell out of Iraq.

Ahhhh!!! A truly unbiased source! How refreshing! This is the sort of thing you read Steven? No wonder you have a "unique" sense of the world!

[mRx 16]

If it were true then I would be all for bringing the troops home. The government of Iraq has the final say so if we stay or leave. If they want us to go then I would say we should go. I seriously doubt that they are going to ask for that any time soon though.

Then this is a truly remarkable day! wow! Gary, I thought I'd never hear that from you.

Time will tell. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to ask us to leave. But if it came we would have to respect their wishes.

Since unfortunately the Iraqi's are unable to effectively control their country, it wouldn't make much sense to remove coalition forces.

It has been proving to be very difficult to train and amass an Iraqi army capable of defending their country due to constant desertions and saboteurs among the recruits.

I want us to be out of Iraq as much as the next guy, but I dont see it happening anytime soon.