McCain=Bush!

In an article that reflects yesterday’s post, Barney Frank is calling for…

In a meeting with the editorial board of The Standard-Times, Rep. Frank, D-Mass., also called for a 25 percent cut in military spending, saying the Pentagon has to start choosing from its many weapons programs, and that upper-income taxpayers are going to see an increase in what they are asked to pay.

The military cuts also mean getting out of Iraq sooner, he said.

"The people of Iraq want us out, and we want to stay over their objection," he said. "It’s extraordinary." The Maliki government in Iraq "can’t sell (the withdrawal deal with the U.S.) because it sounds like we’re going to stay too long."

"I was teasing (U.S. Rep.) Jack Murtha (a key supporter of military budgets) and I said to him, ‘For the first time, somebody else has got a bill that’s almost as big as yours.’ We don’t need all these fancy new weapons. I think there needs to be additional review."

I’ve always enjoyed Frank’s frankness…!

It’s amazing all the contradictory statements flying around about the SOFA… Be it Kurdish, Shi’ite, or Sunni…

First, Condi Rice, had to insert her two cents…

“I think the Iraqis can defend their interests without the Iranians, thank you very much,” Rice told a press conference in Mexico when asked to comment on the remarks.
“That hasn’t been the happiest relationship, ever,” Rice said during a visit to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
“What the Iranians were doing was arming special groups in the south who were killing innocent Iraqis. So frankly I don’t take these comments very seriously,” said Rice, alongside Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa.
Rice then reiterated that “this is a good agreement,” referring to the security pact that has been the subject of months of difficult negotiations with the Iraqis.
“It’s an agreement that both protects our armed forces and will allow them to continue to support the Iraqis as they consolidate the gains that they have made on the security side,” Rice said.
It is also “totally respectful of Iraqi sovereignty,” she added.

She seems to omit the fact that we’ve killed numerous innocent Iraqis and that no Iraqi seems to find the draft ‘respectful of Iraqi sovereignty’ much less totally respectful…

As Gareth Porter brilliantly summed up in this article…

Final Text of Iraq Pact Reveals a U.S. Debacle

…The collapse of the Bush administration’s ambitious plan for a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq highlights the degree of unreality that has prevailed among top U.S. officials in both Washington and Baghdad on Iraqi politics. They continued to see the Maliki regime as a client which would cooperate with U.S. aims even after it was clear that Maliki’s agenda was sharply at odds with that of the United States.

They also refused to take seriously the opposition to such a presence even among the Shiite clerics who had tolerated it in order to obtain Shiite control over state power.

The only Iraqi backers of the SOFA are the Kurds and the current PM of the KRG, Nechirvan Barzani, No. 2 man and nephew to the President of the KRG, Masoud Barzani, (don’t tell me nepotism doesn’t run rampant…) made this ridiculous claim…

Kurdish Prime Minister predicts US troops will remain in Iraq until 2020

…Nechirvan Barzani also told The Times that a conditions-based target contained in a draft version of the status of forces agreement for all US soldiers to exit the country within three years was “unrealistic” given the limited capabilities of the fledgling Iraqi Army. Instead, the Prime Minister, who is No 2 in the Kurdish region after Masoud Barzani, the President, predicted a US military presence of some form until 2020.[...]

Mr Barzani said he thought that the Iraqi announcement was mere posturing by politicians wanting to demonstrate their independence from US influence.

“These people probably think that with slogans they can run a country and I believe this is wrong,” the Prime Minister said. “They want to be given the credit as heroes or considered as heroes.”

He also blamed “external interference”, without naming specific countries. Neighbouring Iran, which is close to the Shia Arab parties that hold the majority in Iraq’s Government, has been a vociferous opponent of the pact.

It’s funny that he blames ‘external interference’ without naming Iran… Could it be because his Uncle just wrapped up a three day trip to Iran…?

Iraqi Kurdistan presidency says Barazani’s visit to Iran “successful”

Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barazani and his delegation returned to Arbil from a three-day visit to Iran on Friday, the presidential cabinet chief said, terming the visit as “successful”.

“Barazani discussed with Iranian officials several issues including the security agreement between Iraq and the United States, bilateral relations between the two sides and the Iranian shelling of border areas within Iraq’s Kurdistan region as well as regional political developments,” Fouad Hussein told Aswat al-Iraq.

Barzani had led a Kurdish delegation on Wednesday to Iran, where he met with senior officials including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Now, the Sunnis were quiet on the SOFA draft, not so now…

MP calls for Iraqi gov’t to delay signing U.S. security pact

A lawmaker from the main Sunni bloc on Wednesday called for the government to wait until a national consensus would be reached on the security with U.S.

“The Iraqi political scene manifested no national consensus among the national parties on Iraq-U.S. security deal,” MP Dhafir al-Ani from the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF).

“There was no point in presenting the agreement to the parliament since it might not be passed,” he explained.

When about asked about U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates’ warning of “dramatic consequences” if Washington and Baghdad do not agree a security deal on U.S. forces in Iraq, the MP said “lawmakers represents Iraqi people and would take the Iraqi interest and would not succumb to U.S. dictations”.

As I argued, even the Shi’ite aren’t all on the same page…

Shiite MP calls for calm over Iraq-U.S. security pact

A lawmaker from the main Shiite bloc on Friday called for rational debate on a U.S.-Iraq security deal.

Speaking to worshippers at Buratha mosque in Baghdad, Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer said “the government was still tinkering with a deal to give the U.S. a legal basis for keeping its forces three more years in Iraq”.

Al-Sagheer urged against “an outright rejection of the pact”, noting “the agreement advocates and opponents are complicating the process.

The pact would remove American forces from Iraqi cities by June 2009, with all U.S. troops out of the country by the end of 2011, unless both sides agree to an extension.

But the security agreement faces real problems — clearly more serious today than a few weeks ago. Iraqi leaders are torn between desire for continued U.S. help and the yearning of many Iraqis for an end to what they consider foreign military occupation.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has refused to submit the draft to parliament unless he is certain of strong backing. He fears rivals will use the agreement against him in provincial and national elections next year — a real possibility in a country exhausted by nearly six years of war and eager to end outside domination.

One thing that you can be assured of is the fact that the SOFA is dead for quite some time… Next stop the UN…!