'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Yet more US intervention in Iraqi politics

I'll say this for Condi Rice and Zal Khalilzad, the US viceroy in Baghdad: They sure are tenacious... The kind of tenacious that causes our dog to hang onto an old piece of aluminum foil long after she's licked the last trace of chicken-grease off it... The kind of tenacious that is quite useless and indeed often very counter-productive. (Chewed-up shards of aluminum foil all over the garden...)

I say this because honestly, I'd have thought that once Khalilzad lost his big tussle of wills with Iraq's United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) bloc back on April 21, he would then step back and let the UIA-- which did, after all, win easily the largest number of seats during Dec. 15's free and fair parliamentary election-- form the coalition that it wanted, and through which it might hope to govern.

But no.

I guess I should have started to understand Khalilzad's(and Rice's) extraordinarily pointless tenacity back on May 21, when Zal was reported to be intervening in the workings of the Iraqi parliament like "the elephant in the chamber."

And now, here we are, two weeks after Nuri al-Maliki was designated as the head of the new "Iraqi government", and he still hasn't been able to name the key security ministers in it...

And the US bureaucrats are still butting majorly into Iraq's internal political affairs....

In that report I linked to there AFP's Kamal Taha wrote

Maliki had originally chosen an independent military figure [for Interior Minister], but according to Shiite politicians, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the most powerful Shiite parties, wanted one of its own in the post.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Fox News on Sunday that Iraqi politicians will settle the issue in the "next few days."

"The important thing is that they get it right. And when they get it right, and they will get it right, everybody will forget how long it took them," she said.

A US official in Baghdad, however, said Washington was quite "disappointed" with the postponement and called for the political parties to support Maliki's efforts to name a new government.

"We're quite disappointed at the lack of results in today's parliament," said the official, adding that the US believes strongly in the prime minister's efforts to find qualified independent candidates.

"We support him in these efforts and it is time for all leaders in the national unity government to get behind the prime minister," the official added, singling out SCIRI for not supporting the prime minister

Well, that official is probably someone who works quite high up in Khalilzad's office. Intriguingly enough, it now looks as though-- in contrast to the position they took in the run-up to the choosing of the PM-- this time, the US viceregal palace (a.k.a. the embassy) is campaigning against rather than for SCIRI. (Can anyone explain that more for me?)

But to me, that doesn't make much difference. How come they have a view on this matter at all? Isn't Iraq supposed to be independent?

And then, another question: What on earth difference will any of this make to the ignominious ending the Bush project in Iraq is headed for anyway? Aren't they just seeking to prolong the agony there?

Oh, just bring the troops home, guys... Please! Their continued presence in Iraq is only continuing to sow horrendous violence among the Iraqi people. And for absolutely zero reason.

What was it the Vietnam vets used to say: Just how terrible is it to be the last person to die in a completely pointless war?

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