What a Tangle Web We Weave
photo: Karim Kadim/Associated Press |
Set the stage.
The wreaking of vengeance unfolded while a powerful parliamentary bloc loyal
to firebrand Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr threatened to boycott the government
if Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki attends a meeting with President Bush
scheduled for Wednesday in Jordan. The legislators said the American presence
was the root cause of the spiraling violence in Iraq.
Juan Cole sets the scene: Vice President
Dick Cheney will stop in Saudi Arabia Saturday for talks. In conjunction with
Bush\’s planned meeting with PM Nuri al-Maliki next Thursday in Amman, these
movements suggest building momentum for a new direction in Iraq, the contours
of which are still unknown (source).
New direction, indeed.
Special
to the Huffington Post – by Tom HaydenAccording to credible Iraqi sources in London and Amman, a secret story of
America\’s diplomatic exit strategy from Iraq is rapidly unfolding. The key
events include:First, James Baker told one of Saddam Hussein\’s lawyers that Tariq Aziz,
former deputy prime minister, would be released from detention by the end
of this year, in hope that he will negotiate with the US on behalf of the
Baath Party leadership.The discussion recently took place in Amman, according to the Iraqi paper
al-Quds al-Arabi.Second, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice personally appealed to the Gulf
Cooperation Council in October to serve as intermediaries between the US and
armed Sunni resistance groups [not including al Qaeda], communicating a US
willingness to negotiate with them at any time or place. Speaking in early
October, Rice joked that if then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld \”heard
me now, he would wage a war on me fiercer and hotter than he waged on Iraq,\”
according to an Arab diplomat privy to the closed session.Third, there was an \”unprecedented\” secret meeting of high-level
Americans and representatives of \”a primary component of the Iraqi resistance\”
two weeks ago, lasting for three days. As a result, the Iraqis agreed to return
to the talks in the next two weeks with a response for the American side,
according to Jordanian press leaks and al-Quds al-Arabi. … …
George is hoping for a grand finale, screaming for Baker, and praying that daddy will help him
out of his war. Or maybe he\’s just hoping that pops won\’t say I told you
so, while in the process of saving his son\’s sorry ass.
Bush simply wants out of the nightmare. McCain wants to escalate. Both men inextricably tied to Iraq.
One
thousand Iraqis flee their country every day.
The Democrats are holding a meeting in early December to try and figure out how
to get us out of the Republican mess known as the Bush foreign policy.
The killing continues.
Withdrawal is in the wind.
Comments are closed.