[Texgreen] Iraqi government on verge of collapse; Bush threatens tyranny

[Roger Baker]

If things get any worse, somebody will have to do something about it. =20=

-- Roger

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  <http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0727/p01s05-wome.html>

Iraqi government in deepest crisis

US and Iraqi officials are trying to prevent complete disintegration.
By Sam Dagher | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

Reporter Sam Dagher in Baghdad contrasts Iraq's political troubles =20
with its soccer team's success from the July 27, 2007 edition

BAGHDAD - Iraq is in the throes of its worst political crisis since =20
the fall of Saddam Hussein with the new democratic system, based on =20
national consensus among its ethnic and sectarian groups, appearing =20
dangerously close to collapsing, say several politicians and analysts.

This has brought paralysis to governmental institutions and has left =20
parliament unable to make headway on 18 benchmarks Washington is =20
using to measure progress in Iraq, including legislation on oil =20
revenue sharing and reforming security forces.
And the disconnect between Baghdad and Washington over the urgency =20
for solutions is growing. The Iraqi parliament is set for an August =20
vacation as the Bush administration faces pressure to show progress =20
in time for a September report to Congress.

At the moment, Iraqi politicians are simply trying to keep the =20
government from disintegrating. On Friday, top Iraqi officials were =20
set to convene in the Kurdish north for a crisis summit, in the hopes =20=

that talks held outside of Baghdad's politically poisonous atmosphere =20=

may bring some resolution to the current political standstill. =20
President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies, Prime Minister Nouri =20
al-Maliki and the president of the semiautonomous Kurdish region, =20
Massoud Barzani, were set to meet at the Salaheddin summer resort at =20
the end of a difficult week.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi Accordance Front said it pulled out of Mr. =20
Maliki's coalition government, but would return its six cabinet =20
members if the prime minister met a list of demands. The Sunni bloc =20
says it wants, among other things, pardons for detainees not facing =20
specific criminal charges and for all militias to be disbanded.
"We are frankly in the midst of the worst crisis," says Fakhri Karim, =20=

a close adviser to Messrs. Barzani and Talabani who also publishes =20
the independent Al Mada newspaper. He says he doubts the Friday =20
meeting will find any resolution because of the new political tussle =20
with the Iraqi Accordance Front.

"Most of the political blocs have failed to operate within the =20
framework of national consensus. They can't even properly formulate =20
their positions and proposals, let alone realize the very serious =20
dangers that surround everyone."
The gravity of the situation was underscored by several officials. =20
"We have a governmental crisis. Our people expect better =20
performance," said Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
And since Saturday, US Ambassador Ryan Crocker has been shuttling =20
between Iraq's top leaders, but an embassy spokesperson said this was =20=

not necessarily indicative of a crisis.
"The surge has done well in making a difference in security =20
conditions. But it isn't a light switch for reconciliation; there are =20=

no quick fixes to years of bitterness and violence," he said.

Some US military officers have expressed concern privately that =20
Iraq's leadership has failed to take advantage of some of the =20
breathing room offered by the US-led surge against insurgents and =20
militants.
The crisis is also fueling discontent and alienation among Iraqis.
"They are making us regret we ever voted for them ... they should =20
learn something about unity from our soccer team," said an anonymous =20
caller on a state television program on Wednesday after Iraq's =20
victory over South Korea in the Asian Cup semifinals.

Iraq's two rounds of elections in 2005 were historic in many ways. =20
They empowered once-marginalized Shiites and Kurds, but the =20
experience also enshrined and even codified in the new Constitution a =20=

consensus-based system that is built on a delicate division of =20
authority along sectarian and ethnic lines.
This was meant mainly to accommodate the embittered Sunni Arabs who =20
were slow to embrace the political process and continue to fuel a =20
violent insurgency that has spiraled into a bloody sectarian war.
But 14 months after Maliki, a Shiite, formed his so-called government =20=

of national unity, Iraq's quest for democracy has hit a wall. =20
Political leaders, mainly Shiites and Sunnis, are now trading a =20
barrage of very serious recriminations.
"The partnership experience has been dealt major blows ... we tried =20
to maintain our good intentions and patience ... but we have been =20
faced with arrogance, a monopoly over power, and efforts to eliminate =20=

[us] in every way," said Khalaf al-Olayan from the Iraqi Accordance =20
Front at a press conference announcing the suspension of six cabinet =20
members from the government.

If they pull out, it would bring to 13 the number of vacancies in =20
Maliki's 39-member cabinet.
"We are firmly convinced after this bitter experience that this =20
government represented by its prime minister is incapable of joining =20
a truly patriotic project," added Mr. Olayan, surrounded by Vice =20
President Tariq al-Hashemi and the front's other leaders.
He said the pullout would become finalized in a week unless Maliki =20
showed willingness to fulfill a list of 12 conditions that boil down =20
to releasing thousands of detainees held in US and Iraqi prisons =20
without charges, ending what the front considers the indiscriminate =20
targeting of Sunnis.
Sami al-Askari, a parliamentarian and close adviser to Maliki, said =20
all the accusations and demands by the Sunni bloc are merely a smoke =20
screen for one thing: "Hashemi's desire for more powers than what has =20=

been accorded to him under the Constitution."

Mr. Askari accused the Sunni bloc of operating from the get-go more =20
like opposition than a partner. Maliki and his Shiite allies have =20
repeatedly charged that the Sunnis want to bring down the government =20
and reverse the current political equation with the help of regional =20
Sunni Arab powers Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Last week, Maliki said Arab media was in on "this conspiracy."
Before the withdrawal of the Sunnis from the government, there had =20
been efforts last week to contain the crisis, namely by resuscitating =20=

a proposal to create a coalition of so-called moderates to back the =20
government and "isolate the extremists on both sides, Sunnis and =20
Shiites," according to Foreign Minister Zebari.

The Kurds and Shiites tried to lure Mr. Hashemi and his Iraqi Islamic =20=

Party away from his Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front partners, but he =20
rejected their overtures Sunday.
Robert Springborg, director of the Middle East Institute at the =20
University of London, says the heart of the problem was that no one =20
is truly committed to a strong and unified government.
"The actors involved have their own agendas, the central government =20
and its resources are a tool for their own aspirations ... none are =20
committed to a government for all Iraqis," he says.

Pointing to the growing disconnect between Washington and Baghdad, =20
Askari, Maliki's adviser, says, "Washington believes that passing the =20=

oil law will impact on reconciliation and the security situation. We =20
beg to differ. This matters little to the armed groups that kill =20
Iraqis every day. Their sole agenda is to reverse what we have =20
achieved so far."


                =20
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<http://www.opednews.com/articles/=20
opedne_alex_wal_070726_30_days_to_absolute_.htm>

July 26, 2007

30 days to absolute tyranny

By Alex Wallenwein

...30 DAYS TO ABSOLUTE TYRANNY
(Now 23 Days!)
Latest Bush Executive Order Outlaws Iraq War Dissent on Penalty of =20
Full Asset Seizure
In an as yet un-numbered Executive Order (at least the number isn't =20
published), president bush has decreed that your property - all of it =20=

- can be taken away at the sole discretion of the Secretary of the =20
Treasury at the mere suspicion that you may commit a crime in the =20
future. You can view and read this latest executive atrocity at the =20
White House website.

An executive order only becomes law if Congress doesn=92t overturn it =20=

within thirty days after it is published in the Federal Register.

If you own a business, this concerns you. Whether you own it as a =20
sole proprietorship, as a sole shareholder, or even as a partial =20
shareholder of a corporation, you stand to lose all of it if the =20
Secretary thinks you may commit an "act of violence" that may disrupt =20=

the war (or peace) effort in Iraq. Naturally, "act of violence" is =20
not defined anywhere in this order.

Once this becomes law, he has all the tools Hitler and Stalin had to =20
keep their respective populations in utter subjection to their will....

This means that the triggering factor underlying any such blocking =20
order is a mere =93determination=94 by the Secretary of the Treasury =
that =20
you pose a =93significant risk=94 of committing an act of violence in =
the =20
future that has any of the listed purposes or effects. All the =20
Secretary then has to do is to =93consult=94 with the secretaries of =20
state and defense. There is not even a requirement that these two =20
agree with the Treasury Secretary=92s =93determination=94(!)

In other words, if the Secretary of the Treasury says that you =93pose =20=

a significant risk=94 of committing an act of violence with the purpose =20=

or effect of =93threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the =20
Government of Iraq; or undermining efforts to promote economic =20
reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide =20
humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people=94, then the 'bushprez' can =20=

block you from accessing your bank account, retirement account, =20
credit cards, or =93any property or interest in property=94 that you may =
=20
own.

That technically includes your house, whether owned or rented, your =20
car or other means of transportation, whether owned or rented, your =20
business, all the way down to your cell phone, toothpaste and =20
underwear, as well as the twenty bucks you loaned your buddy that he =20
hasn=92t paid you back yet....

Unconstitutional? You bet!

But you can=92t complain about it.

Why is that?

The president has declared a state of emergency back in 2003 (as he =20
recites in this executive order at the end of the paragraph that =20
starts with =93I, GEORGE W. BUSH=94). That state of emergency has not =20=

been rescinded, to this date.

In a state of emergency, the president has the power to do whatever =20
he wants, and you can=92t complain - or else.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/=20
opedne_alex_wal_070726_30_days_to_absolute_.htm=