Have you been told this by TV media that the Iraq elections that got Newsweek all hot. moist.

[ConsAreLiars]

panting and cricle-jerking over The Chimp-in-Chief's Mission Accomplished 'appearance?'

Or point our how this disenfranchisement of Sunnis might have increased internal tensions. Or comment on how the US policy of favoring and supporting the Shia factions might increase collaboration between Iraq and Iran.

(Iran!!! - Scary! Scary! ~ run away screaming in fear demanding more bombings and mass murders!)

Some from a human perspective see blowback as inevitable, or maybe see this as just shortsighted and stupid. For the military-slaughter-industrial-complex capitalist enterprises, this is just good for business.

Now 511, aaccording to David Frost on AJE and Strafor http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20100122_iraq_conditions_sunni_electoral_participation (site wants email address to read the full article)

The following is from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/world/middleeast/15baghdad.html

Iraqi Commission Bars Nearly 500 Candidates

By ANTHONY SHADID
Published: January 14, 2010

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s independent electoral commission on Thursday barred about 500 candidates from running in parliamentary elections in March, among them an influential Sunni Muslim politician, in a decision that could stoke sectarian tensions here and deprive the vote of crucial legitimacy in the eyes of part of the electorate.

The decision could undermine what many viewed as a key accomplishment of the political process here: agreement by nearly all Iraqi factions to take part in the vote, unlike previous elections that were boycotted out of fear of insurgent violence or in protest of American involvement.

Among those barred were the defense minister, Abdul-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi, and Saleh al-Mutlaq, a Sunni who is the head of the National Dialogue Front.

Mr. Mutlaq’s group, in alliance with Ayad Allawi, a former prime minister, had emerged as a leading force in predominantly Sunni provinces, which were underrepresented in the last parliamentary vote, in 2005. Depending on how many seats they secured in Parliament, the alliance could have had a say in choosing Iraq’s new prime minister.

The absence of Mr. Mutlaq and other Sunni candidates could produce a situation that American officials here have long feared: another election reinforcing Sunni disenfranchisement, and just as the United States military begins its withdrawal of tens of thousands of combat troops.

[WCGreen]

1. I couldn't believe that cover...

Mission Accomplished...

What was the fucking mission. It kept changing all the time. Scaled back from saving the Western World from a hail of Nuklur bombs killin' christians and jew to getting rid of Saddam to bringing democracy to Iraq to make sure oil flowed to maybe having elections to stopping intra faith battles...

The only thing I know is that this fucking war help wipe out a generation of wealth and prosperity.

If that was the underlying mission, well then they got that one right...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I was really outraged to read that cover.

I haven't been able to force myself to read that shit. It really pissed me off.

I know they like provocative covers, but this went way too far.