Iraqi Parliament Returns...Does Nothing

Reason number 102,453 to stay in Iraq forever.

After a monthlong summer break, though, the 154 Iraqi lawmakers who reconvened Tuesday for a fall session showed few signs of urgency to tackle legislation that could help determine the future of the U.S. troop presence in their country.

A day after President Bush made an unannounced visit to Iraq, the latest by U.S. officials pressing Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to hasten political progress, none of the bills seen as crucial to driving national reconciliation came up for discussion.

One lawmaker suggested, half jokingly, that the red curtains in the chamber be replaced with a more calming hue to keep tempers from flaring.

At least one other legislator said he was insulted that Bush had bypassed the capital Monday and limited his visit to a U.S. air base in Anbar province.

“I want to mention my reservation and abhorrence as the meeting was held in an American base in a country having sovereignty,” said Abdul Kareem Enizi, a member of Maliki’s Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki, President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents flew to see Bush in Anbar, where a decision by Sunni Muslim tribal sheiks to stop supporting Sunni insurgents has greatly reduced violence.

Just go back on vacation until you get those calming curtains installed.

5 Comments

billjpa on September 5, 2007 at 2:26 pm

I just gotta tellya this: I check in with Juan Cole daily and recently something crossed my reading path that I thought Mr Cole could possibly verify.So I e-mailed himthe following question- is there a vehicular ban in Fallujah? (I thought I had read something about some religious holidayand was wondering about it-the possible ban) He e-mailed me back telling me that there was a ban! OK. thats been done before.
Then- I don’t know why but something bothered me so I sent back to him the following Question– How long was the ban in affect?
WELL_ His answer just blew me away!Anybody want to guess? Fuck it- I will tell ya–
SINCE MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YUP——– MAY!!
Total traffic ban- try and imagine life without vehicles!
How to win friends!! Unfucking believable.
billjpa
ps- I am afraid to ask if there are any other urban traffic bans in affect?

BooMan on September 5, 2007 at 2:34 pm

That’s Anbar province for ya’. Huge progress.

MikeInOhio on September 5, 2007 at 2:40 pm

A true American moron.

GEORGE Bush is a man who likes a short sentence. Which is not to say the President of the United States reduces ideas to bite-sized chunks. Or maybe it is.

Either way, during the course of his first 24 hours in Sydney, there were plenty of efficient exclamations. Like the exchange on the tarmac as Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile inquired how things were going in Iraq. “We’re kicking ass,” he declared. In a similarly thrifty oratory bent yesterday, he telegraphed his lunch order — “I’m a meat guy”. Then he buttered up his host — “I admire your courage” — and insisted he was not playing a double game by hinting at moves to start cutting US troop numbers in Iraq: “Whatever you do, don’t call me cute.”

He also managed to remain gracious in the face of further niggling about the inconvenience to the people of inner Sydney. At a joint press conference with John Howard, Bush played comic to the PM’s straight man. He grinned. He winked. He made eye contact with journalists as he argued that the Iraq war could be won. He joked around, and congratulated the PM on “your … like … grandfatherhood”.

But there were a few faint hints of impatience. As Howard’s opening statement dragged on, Bush pursed his lips and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

The rest of the day was a giddy social whirl. A bit of local rump at a lunchtime barbecue with the troops, and an hour of mountain biking in the North Shore suburb of St Ives. By nightfall, it was back onto a pleasure cruiser for a trip across the harbour to sign the visitors book at Admiralty House and dine with the Howards at Kirribilli House. Janette Howard greeted Bush at the door, thanking him for bringing rain.

And Bush owned the second killer line of the day, as he drew US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice into a photo to make up the foursome. “You can be my date,” he purred, an invitation most straight men would kill to issue.

KNUCKLEHEAD on September 5, 2007 at 4:15 pm

MikeInOhio,
“GEORGE Bush is a man who likes a short sentence”
I don`t care what he likes.
Give him life without parole.
chocolate ink on September 5, 2007 at 4:41 pm

Court Jester or President?…Funny he seems to suck at both…Big Time. I always think he can’t possibly get more embarrassing than previous remarks but then the ‘bigotry of my low expectations’ for him is dashed once again and he surpasses himself.

As Olbermann mentioned we have 500 more days of this mental midget’s hijinks.

billjpa on September 5, 2007 at 2:26 pm

I just gotta tellya this: I check in with Juan Cole daily and recently something crossed my reading path that I thought Mr Cole could possibly verify.So I e-mailed himthe following question- is there a vehicular ban in Fallujah? (I thought I had read something about some religious holidayand was wondering about it-the possible ban) He e-mailed me back telling me that there was a ban! OK. thats been done before.
Then- I don’t know why but something bothered me so I sent back to him the following Question– How long was the ban in affect?
WELL_ His answer just blew me away!Anybody want to guess? Fuck it- I will tell ya–
SINCE MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YUP——– MAY!!
Total traffic ban- try and imagine life without vehicles!
How to win friends!! Unfucking believable.
billjpa
ps- I am afraid to ask if there are any other urban traffic bans in affect?
- BooMan on September 5, 2007 at 2:34 pm
  
  That’s Anbar province for ya’. Huge progress.
MikeInOhio on September 5, 2007 at 2:40 pm

A true American moron.

GEORGE Bush is a man who likes a short sentence. Which is not to say the President of the United States reduces ideas to bite-sized chunks. Or maybe it is.

Either way, during the course of his first 24 hours in Sydney, there were plenty of efficient exclamations. Like the exchange on the tarmac as Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile inquired how things were going in Iraq. “We’re kicking ass,” he declared. In a similarly thrifty oratory bent yesterday, he telegraphed his lunch order — “I’m a meat guy”. Then he buttered up his host — “I admire your courage” — and insisted he was not playing a double game by hinting at moves to start cutting US troop numbers in Iraq: “Whatever you do, don’t call me cute.”

He also managed to remain gracious in the face of further niggling about the inconvenience to the people of inner Sydney. At a joint press conference with John Howard, Bush played comic to the PM’s straight man. He grinned. He winked. He made eye contact with journalists as he argued that the Iraq war could be won. He joked around, and congratulated the PM on “your … like … grandfatherhood”.

But there were a few faint hints of impatience. As Howard’s opening statement dragged on, Bush pursed his lips and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

The rest of the day was a giddy social whirl. A bit of local rump at a lunchtime barbecue with the troops, and an hour of mountain biking in the North Shore suburb of St Ives. By nightfall, it was back onto a pleasure cruiser for a trip across the harbour to sign the visitors book at Admiralty House and dine with the Howards at Kirribilli House. Janette Howard greeted Bush at the door, thanking him for bringing rain.

And Bush owned the second killer line of the day, as he drew US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice into a photo to make up the foursome. “You can be my date,” he purred, an invitation most straight men would kill to issue.
- KNUCKLEHEAD on September 5, 2007 at 4:15 pm
  
  MikeInOhio,
  “GEORGE Bush is a man who likes a short sentence”
  I don`t care what he likes.
  Give him life without parole.
- chocolate ink on September 5, 2007 at 4:41 pm
  
  Court Jester or President?…Funny he seems to suck at both…Big Time. I always think he can’t possibly get more embarrassing than previous remarks but then the ‘bigotry of my low expectations’ for him is dashed once again and he surpasses himself.
  
  As Olbermann mentioned we have 500 more days of this mental midget’s hijinks.

Iraqi Parliament Returns…Does Nothing

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