When the candidates are murdered before the election do we get our money back?
Five killed in Iraq pre-election violence
2 days ago
BAGHDAD (AFP) — Gunmen claimed the lives of three Iraqi election candidates on Thursday and two campaign workers were also murdered in attacks just two days before the country's first poll since 2005.
The run-up to Saturday's provincial vote -- seen as a key test of Iraq's progress since the 2003 US-led invasion -- had been relatively violence-free but the killings are certain to raise fears that militants could throw polling day into chaos.
The first attack occurred in Baghdad, where armed men opened fire on Omar Faruq al-Ani, a candidate for the Iraqi Concord Front, the main Sunni group in the country's parliament, police and army officials told AFP.
The second victim, Hazim Salim Ahmed, a Sunni candidate for the Iraqi National Unity list, was shot dead outside his home in the northern city of Mosul.
Political parties have been requesting greater security for candidates and on voting day in Mosul, which is considered to be the last urban stronghold of Al-Qaeda.
A third candidate from the Reform and Development list, a mixed Sunni, Kurd and Shiite party, was killed along with two campaign workers as they were putting up election posters near the central city of Baquba, a local security official said.
...and the MSM thinks Chicago politics are nasty.
"Who amongst us decided that it was our obligation to shoulder this burden, aside from bloodthirsty and immoral Republicans?" Well, actually a lot of Democratic Congressmen joined the immoral Repugs in deciding that. No need to name names, I think we remember who most of them they were.
Posted by T2 at January 31, 2009 04:22 PMYes, the war that was brought to the American people by the lying Bush , Cheney, et. al has certainly wrought glorious consequences for our country both here and abroad. And yes the weak-kneed Dems share responsibility here , too. I just hope that the Dems get the balls to really lead because if they don't we are just shit out of luck.
Posted by Chris at January 31, 2009 05:24 PM"...well over a hundred thousand dead Iraqis, their looted and destroyed country...
With all respect, Steve, 1.307 million Iraqis (and counting) is not "well over" 100,000, it is more than thirteen times that. Well over a million is an acceptable way to describe the number. Well over 100,000 is not.
And yes, the country is looted and destroyed, robbed of its most needed citizens, most of whom have been murdered, or fled the country (they say 2 million living outside as refugees, probably closer to 3-4 million). The professionals, intellectuals, and business elites are mostly gone. The society, once an extremely diverse, and pluralistic one (contrary to all the nonsense about Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds), has been torn to tatters.
America, you can take your elections and shove them up your a** as you head out the door.
Posted by Shirin at January 31, 2009 06:04 PM"...the war that was brought to the American people by the lying Bush , Cheney, et. al has certainly wrought glorious consequences for our country both here and abroad."
What can I say to that, really?
Posted by Shirin at January 31, 2009 06:10 PMOh well, Afghanistan should turn out much better:
"Alexander the Great was only 20 years old when he became king of northern Greece and marshaled a coalition to set out and conquer the world. When he died at the age of 32, his territory stretched from Spain to India and his reputation was larger than life.
Afghanistan has changed names over the 23 centuries since, but it's still a land-locked knot of mountains prone to droughts, blizzards, and floods. It was Alexander's toughest challenge, and he never subdued its citizens completely. The British in the 1800s and the Soviets in the 1900s met similar fates. Will the United States' experience in the 21st century be different?" ...Gayla Marty
"Will the United States' experience in the 21st century be different?"
Nope.
Posted by Shirin at January 31, 2009 07:33 PMIraq has been a success and now we're in the process of drawing down the troops.
Obama has now turned the focus on Afghanistan. And rightly so.
Posted by Muck at January 31, 2009 07:59 PMOh, yeah - Iraq is a great success. Just ask the 1.307 million dead Iraqis, the 3-4 million refugees, and the 2 million or so internally displaced. They'll tell you what a success it is.
Seriously, you guys can't possibly actually believe the B.S. you spew around here.
Posted by Shirin at January 31, 2009 08:06 PMThere is no success and will never be any success in Iraq. Furthermore, if there was ever to be any success, it would not have been worth it.
Oh and Muck, how the economy doing? Weren't you the one telling us a couple of months ago that it was doing great?
Posted by Judith at January 31, 2009 08:46 PMShirin, over one million Iraqis dead is the number I have been reading too.
Posted by Judith at January 31, 2009 08:51 PMJudith,
Yes, 1.3 million is the most accurate number according to scientific studies conducted using universally accepted methodology. And it is important to understand that this is not the total number of Iraqis who have died in the time period. That number is higher. The 1.3 million is the "excess deaths" - that is, the number of deaths in excess of the deaths that would have occurred under normal conditions.
I think it is very important not to underestimate by grossly understating the numbers the enormity of the horror caused by the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Posted by Shirin at January 31, 2009 09:28 PMIraq civilian deaths down
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/31/iraq.civilians/
No matter what your opinion is on the intelligence that led us into the war, the good news is that things are winding down and there is a plan to withdraw the troops. As long as Obama sticks to it.
Posted by Muck at January 31, 2009 10:32 PMMuck, go back into the muck from which you rose.
- 1.307 Iraqis are dead who would be alive if Poppy Bush's idiot boy had not invaded and occupied their country.
- At least 5 million Iraqis are either living in exile or internally displaces who would be in their homes if Poppy Bush's idiot boy had not invaded and occupied their country. Hundreds of Iraqis continue to flee the country every week.
- Iraqi civilians are still being killed and dying and being rendered homeless at many times the rate they were before Poppy Bush's idiot boy "liberated" them, and though it is not being reported, your American troops are killing a lot of them every day.
- Iraq's infrastructure is in ruins. The majority of Iraqis have no clean water, electricity is available on a few hours a day in most areas, medicine and medical equipment are unavailable, sewage transportation and treatment systems are inoperable.
- Iraqi society, always very diverse and pluralistic, is deeply divided, its centuries-old fabric destroyed, perhaps irrevocably.
- Iraq, for centuries a secular, pluralistic area, and for decades a secular, pluralistic state, is now a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy.
- Iraqi women, once the most highly educated and liberated in the Arab world, are now among the most oppressed on earth.
- The Iraqi Christian community, two thousand years old, and for centuries an integral part of Iraqi society at every level, is now mostly gone, having been murdered by your troops, or the criminals they enabled, or fled the country. Those few who are still there are under constant deadly threat.
- Smaller minorities, many of which predate the Arabs by centuries, and who have always thrived there, are now gone - fled, or murdered.
- Iraqi children are suffering from malnutrition and chronically from preventable, curable diseases at unprecedented levels.
- Iraqi children are no longer able to get a decent education because the schools are destroyed, teaching materials unavailable, and qualified teachers murdered or fled the country.
- Much of Iraq's history has been erased. Untold numbers of priceless antiquities have been destroyed by your troops while they were still buried in the earth and the information they could reveal about the history of civilization destroyed with them.
Oh yes, so much good news.
Oh - and since when is a "drawdown" a withdrawal?
Posted by Shirin at January 31, 2009 11:50 PMShirin, have you written Obama, Reid and Pelosi letters expressing your opinions? They're the ones in charge of this joint. Maybe they can take any suggestions you have to heart.
Posted by Muck at February 1, 2009 12:25 AMWhich suggestions, Muck? The one about you returning to the muck you emerged from?
Posted by Shirin at February 1, 2009 01:23 AMShirin, I assume you can see that you're dealing with a sophist psychopath when engaging "conservatives" like muck.
The mindless response to the horror of what his beloved Bushco perpetrated is now laughingly brushed off with the irrelevant "Obama's in charge of this joint" now. Yeah, that really answers shirin's rendition of what Bush's invasion cost Iraq, muck, you amoral lunatic.
These conservative white males have got some very serious "problems" as human beings. They are (in their minds) never wrong, rationalize and minimize whatever economic and human damage they cause, and have not the slightest compassion or feelings of accountability or regret for what they wrought. Their political "views" are not just about superficial politics, they are expressions of very deep flaws in their personalities. Quite monstrous, actually.
Posted by euzoius at February 1, 2009 08:21 AMShirin, muckdog is a freakin' troll... used to be a economic guru, we can see how his predictions came out...
BTW, your figures on Iraq are the same ones I have... trying to make these conservative criminals understand is the difficult task!
How about the outbreaks of Cholera that hadn't occured in Iraq for decades before the invasion? Nothing like shitting yourself to death!
Such a success... a new "fundamentalist Islamic theocracy". Those always work out well for the U.S., women, and the peace process as a whole!
Since it is such a great Democratic country now that the U.S. has liberated it, I suggest muck and petie go live there among the people... heh!
These conservative white males have got some very serious "problems" as human beings. They are (in their minds) never wrong, rationalize and minimize whatever economic and human damage they cause, and have not the slightest compassion or feelings of accountability or regret for what they wrought. Their political "views" are not just about superficial politics, they are expressions of very deep flaws in their personalities. Quite monstrous, actually.
As always, euzoius uses eloquence of words to take down the conservative fucks.
As you can see, all I have is my anger!
Posted by Seven of Six at February 1, 2009 08:30 AMThe difference between BushcoMucks and us is when we were told Iraq had nuclear balsawood planes we laughed and they peed their collective pants and knee jerked into shock and awwww shit.
The Cardinals are actually government experimental robots. Now be afraid, Steelers, be very afraid.
Posted by TIKI AL at February 1, 2009 08:54 AM(Overly long comment deleted by Soto)
Muck, if you want to post filibusters, do it on your own blog.
BTW, I'm still waiting for you to tell the rest of us why Iraq was worth $1 trillion from our treasury and our grandkids.
Posted by Muck at February 1, 2009 09:30 AMExhibit A from muck---quotes from 1998, before any Iraq NIE was prepared, and before the weapons inspectors found nothing in early 2003. And quotes from floor statements in Oct 2002 on a bill to (supposedly) get the UN to authorize and force UN weapons inspectors back into Iraq. And even then, a majority of House Dems voted against the "authorization" and almost half of Dem senators did as well. A total of six Repubs in Congress voted not to authorize Bushco's baseless invasion.
No mention by muck of the UN weapons inspectors finding no WMD, none, in early 2003 and responses to that. No mention of Dems seeking another "war" vote once Bush failed to obtain UN backing for his war. No mention of Bush and his Congressional Repubs refusing.
No mention of current statements by any of the speakers above before the actual Buschco invasion. No mention of misleading the Congress with the reports given to them. No mention that numerous Dems above voted against authorizing the invasion in Oct 2002 (Pelosi, Boxer, Kennedy, Murray, Graham, etc)---the height of intellectual dishonesty.
Oh well, at least muck has kept his wingnut bookmarks---one never knows when intellectual dishonestly will come in handy! Go to the back of the class, muck......right where you always sat.
Posted by euzoius at February 1, 2009 10:54 AMPeople who have no intellect are incapable of intellectual dishonesty.
Posted by Shirin at February 1, 2009 11:03 AMAll hail the Iraqi elections! What a great accomplishment putting into power a repressive theocracy that mutilates little girls' sexual organs, blatantly murders young boys for homosexuality, and returns women to the state of chattel! Saddam was bad, but not any worse than these villains.
Posted by at February 2, 2009 04:32 AMDear noname:
I agree with your general point. However, female genital mutilation has never been a custom in Iraq, nor has it ever been a custom among Shi`as. Therefore, I doubt seriously that it is being promoted in any way by the current theocratic regime.
FGM has been falsely identified by many people in the West has having something to do with Islam when it is not at all an Islamic practice. On the contrary, it is not consistent with Islamic principles. It is far more a regional practice than an Islamic one. For example, FGM, appallingly common in Egypt and other parts of North Africa, is a very strong practice among Coptic Christians.
Posted by Shirin at February 2, 2009 01:52 PMyeah, we could have resodded the lawn of the national mall, handed out some contraceptives, and funded a bunch of democratic lobby groups for that kind of money....
Posted by at February 3, 2009 02:56 PM