Top Iraqi Officials Growing Restless - Vice President Has Tried to Quit; Shiite Leaders in Disarray

[Pirate Smile]

Source: Washington Post

Top Iraqi Officials Growing Restless
Vice President Has Tried to Quit; Shiite Leaders in Disarray

By Joshua Partlow and Robin Wright
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, June 21, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD, June 20 -- Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi, a senior Shiite politician often mentioned as a potential prime minister, tendered his resignation last week in a move that reflects deepening frustration inside the Iraqi government with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Other senior Iraqi officials have considered resigning in recent weeks over the failures of their government to make progress after more than a year in power, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials.

Abdul Mahdi said he was provoked by the second bombing of the Shiite shrine in Samarra on June 13, in which he said corrupt police abetted Sunni insurgents. "The two minarets were as important to us as September 11, and we should be accountable to the people," Abdul Mahdi said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "We should be doing more to move in a positive direction -- on corruption, accountability and defending the important sites."

-snip-
"It's all about what is perceived to be Maliki's centralizing control with the inner circles of the Dawa party and also not taking on the country's tough challenges," said a senior Iraqi politician, referring to the prime minister's party. The politician said he had read Abdul Mahdi's resignation letter but would not speak for attribution. "There is growing frustration about the leadership of this country."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062002489.html?hpid=topnews

[pinto]

1. Good, informative article and an interesting comment:

"A highly complicated political landscape is about to get more complicated," said a U.S. official who tracks Shiite politics. The Islamic Council "is on top now, but other groups are contending for greater political power," he added.

[alfredo]

2. I bet a lot of Iraqi lawmakers will not return after vacation.

[bemildred]

3. Yeah, well, you really do miss your family after a while, need to spend more time with them

and all.

http://media.npr.org.nyud.net:8090/news/images/2005/apr/29/corbis/saigon_helicopter200.jpg

[bjobotts]

4. What he really means is that he wants a Shiite government

The two minarets were as important to us as September 11, and we should be accountable to the people," Abdul Mahdi said.

A holy site is more important than the deaths of over 2500 people on 9/11? Says a lot about the value of human life to Mahdi. To Mahdi Sunnis are to blame and they are also the corruption of a central government. He's just admitting that in his mind it is just not possible for a Shiite majority and a Sunni minority to govern together. The Sunnis will never accept their "place". They will always be resentful and corrupt the government. Right Mahdi? The sad thought is that he probably is right.
If the US would just get out of the way these groups would come to their own agreements out of necessity. It's futile to try to continue to police them. After all, it's not our country. It's not little America. Just saying...

[Javaman]

5. I predict collapsse before the summer is out...

one more major attack and poof! it's gone.