Sen.(Obama): Iraq Gov't Must Have More Minorities

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday said the United States will not be successful in Iraq unless the political landscape better represents the country's minorities.

Obama, the nation's only black senator, met with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Saturday. He said before his two-day trip to Iraq that he wanted to ask U.S. commanders for a realistic time frame on bringing troops home.

"What I'm fully convinced of is if we don't see signs of political progress ... over a relatively short time frame -- let's say six months or so -- we can pour money and troops in here till the cows come home, but we won't be successful," said Obama, D-Ill., who said he opposed the war before it began.
....
Obama, who last year called for a phased troop withdrawal from Iraq, said he is "constantly impressed and proud of the outstanding work" of American troops, but that he still questions the overall U.S. policy in Iraq.

"In my mind, at least, there's a difference between the discrete successes on the ground and whether the overarching policy will ultimately be successful," he said. "The fundamental policies that led to us being here were flawed and not well thought through, and the odds of our long-term success is hard to assess at this point."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-obama,0,2696597.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[merwin]

1. I wasn't aware that Obama was the only black senator.

Now that I think about it, I should have realized it sooner.

[Moochy]

2. Fifth Black Senator in US History

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/10635

Barack Obama, the newly elected senator from Illinois, is currently the only Black senator. He is the third Black senator since Reconstruction - the other two being Carole Moseley Braun and Edward Brooke.

There were also two Black senators elected during the post civil war reconstruction. They were Hiram Rhoades Revels and Blanche K. Bruce, both from Mississippi.

[Hardrada]

3. What minorities does he suggest?

We are kind of running out of Gypsies and Armenians. They are just about completely out of Assyrians. We have enough of everybody else though to fill a gap. How about sending the Young Republicans over there as a volunteer Minority since those cokesackers aren't ENOUGH of a minority here!!!

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Interesting...

Think we'll see any Jewish reps in the new Iraqi government?

[Hardrada]

9. My best guess is probably not!

[Bragi]

5. Let's Blame the Iraqis

Sorry Senator, but this just doesn't wash. The US has stupidly and illegally invaded a country despite open warnings from people who knew better about how this would lead to a civil war.

The US then implemented a series of policies in Iraq that quite naturally and inevitably put one tribal group in power over the others. Now Obama tells the victims that they should get their act together, or big brother will leave.

While I never supported this war fiasco, and want the US out of there as much as anyone, I find this kind of statement to be an outrage.

If Obama wants to be an anti-war Senator, then I welcome him to the fight, but if he wants to pretend that the real problem here is that Iraqis can't get their act together, then he is part of the problem.

Ending this outrageous war isn't all that complicated when you get your head out of the sand. The US and the UK and the existing occupiers need to get out ASAP, and a lawful UN coalition, with the support of leaders of Muslim countries, needs to move in to do what it can to stabilize the situation.

- B

[1932]

6. He's talking about power distribution and I think he's right.

The way the US is setting Iraq up is to allocate power to people who will do US bidding. The solution to that problem is democracy. Ethnicity and religion might not correlate 100% to the groups the US wants to empower. However, having a system which distributes power in a way that ethnicity and religion can't be used to barricade access to power will go a long way towards breaking down the system the US is trying to put in place and which is the central reason for the disruption and chaos that has resulted from US occupation.

Also, I don't get the impression that Obama is saying this is the magic bullet solution to the problem, headline notwithstanding. Just in the stuff quoted in the OP we see that his primary concern is getting the US out, which seems to be your concern too.

[enigma000]

8. You want to send Canadian peacekeepers to Iraq?

I doubt even Harper wants to do that now. I suspect the Iraqi Shia don't want troops from other Arab nations in Iraq - considering the foreign jhiadists tend to come from those places.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. Note to Obama.

1) The United States will not be successful in Iraq.
2) Iraq's government is none of our business.
3) Out now is the only ethical policy.

[montana_hazeleyes]

10. It is kinda odd.

How does the ONLY black U.S. senator talk about another country needing more minority representation?