more evidence of how the surge has failed... [rquoter]BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's largest Sunni Arab bloc rejoined the Cabinet Saturday after a year-long boycott. Saleem Abdullah, a spokesman for the Iraqi Accord Front bloc, said the parliament voted overwhelmingly Saturday to appoint six members of his bloc to Cabinet posts, including one as deputy prime minister. The United States and Iraq have cited the inclusion of Sunni Arabs in Iraq's political lifeblood as a major factor in restoring political stability and improving the atmosphere for national unity. The Accord Front's return was part of a deal announced July 1 in which Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, accepted proposals from the bloc for five candidates to fill the several ministries that bloc members vacated last summer. The new deputy prime minister is Rafeh al-Issawi, Abdullah said. The other five ministries going to Accord bloc members include higher education, culture, minister of state for foreign affairs, minister of state for women's affairs and telecommunications, he said. The parliament also approved four independents to fill cabinet posts vacated by Sadrists, he said.[/rquoter]
I am glad things are coming together over there, too bad it cost us: 1. Lives of Americans and Iraqis 2. Our economy 3. Gas prices through the roof 4. A diversion from finding Osama 5. Creating a theologically run country out of a secular one And much much more. NOT WORTH IT ! DD
I'm glad things are getting better over there. I hope we be able to leave soon so we don't have spend 200 billion dollars a year that we don't have. We won the cold war because we were able to bankrupt the USSR with the arms race. Sometimes I think Osama has the game plan.
This is crucial and essential for Iraq's future. The surge has done very well in Iraq. The Maliki government's decision to finally attack the Shia extremists with gusto is what turned things around. He finally decided to quit kowtowing to the Shia kooks to try and stay in their favor. Those military offensives and him legitimately reaching out to the Sunnis has turned things around, for now. This is what I've been waiting for. You also have to realize part of his motivation for changing was the sense of inevitability that the U.S. was going to start the pulldown of troops sometime after the surge. The notion our troops wouldn't stay indefinitely to prop him up forced Maliki to act outside his comfort zone. Since the surge started, I think U.S. diplomats and military officials have been in his face telling him and other Iraqis this is their last chance to survive and the free ride would be ending.
Excellent news. That's essential. Once oil sharing is actually put into place I think the surge will be about as successful for Iraq as it could be. That will give them the lasting foundation they need. Of course in terms of the overall war on terror, it is still a failure, and because of the surge going into IRaq rather than Afghanistan an untold number of lives were lost, and will continue to be lost because we have to make up lost ground.
