http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080213/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_new_laws_3;_ylt=AvP.l4T2stbyqskZjeO5Q1VX6GMA

BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament on Wednesday passed three key pieces of legislation that set a date for provincial elections, allot $48 billion for 2008 spending, and provide limited amnesty to detainees in Iraqi custody. They'll have new local elections for the first time since '05 and we'll see a huge change with the Sunni moderates now invested in the central government.

Long view, Iraq is becoming shining success. Thank you George Bush and John McCain and General Patraeus.

Did you even bother reading past that first line? while i welcome any progress in Iraq whatsoever I dont view an 83-82 vote as a hug filled circle jerk of love.
It's pretty obvious that while many Iraqi do want to embrace this wierd democracy thing, just as many cannot move past the tribal/sectarian mentality.
If you wanna pat anyone on the back try AL Sadr or the Sunni chieftains for mutually calling off the dog's.

Did you even bother reading past that first line? while i welcome any progress in Iraq whatsoever I dont view an 83-82 vote as a hug filled circle jerk of love.
It's pretty obvious that while many Iraqi do want to embrace this wierd democracy thing, just as many cannot move past the tribal/sectarian mentality.
If you wanna pat anyone on the back try AL Sadr or the Sunni chieftains for mutually calling off the dog's.

Ignore George W's cheerleader Velvet, Akipt will just make himself look silly on his own.

Unless of course, it doesn't happen that way. Akipt loves waving the pom-poms in these premature celebrations; it's amazing after 4 years of this he doesn't understand why most of the country views every corner turned with suspicion and a "believe it when I see it" attitude.

Progress toward what?

Iraq will be won when the New York Times says it is.

Whats to win?

http://images.politico.com/global/080213_edtoon2-14_600.jpghttp://images.politico.com/global/080122_edtoon1-23_600.jpg

'Iraq is becoming shining success'

- That's hillarious. Hundreds of people are dying every month, there's hardly an area safe, and those areas considered "safe" are in the hands of violent militia that roam the streets holding machine guns.
Every market or wedding has a bomb shread through it and the only inch of ground considered pacified is the inch of ground American boots tread.

It's very much like the French in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars.

"Success! King Joseph has instituted liberal reforms... but don't go out at night, the Spaniards will hang your family."

That's hillarious. Hundreds of people are dying every month, there's hardly an area safe, and those areas considered "safe" are in the hands of violent militia that roam the streets holding machine guns.
Every market or wedding has a bomb shread through it and the only inch of ground considered pacified is the inch of ground American boots tread.I think your BBC is stuck on replay from 2005.

i dont think he is, CNN just reported that Thursday was the 3rd worst day for soldier casualties so far...

If anyones' Tuner is stuck somewhere it's Akipts and it's stuck on the I wanna suck Hannity's balls station.

I think everyone wants the Iraq war to be resolved and a smooth transition and Iraq to be a peaceful, friendly democracy in the Middle East.

The part Akipt will disagree with everyone else in the world is that the whole mess from the original reasons of going into Iraq (Iraq's non-existent nuclear arms) to how it has played out from the start up until now. Iraq really fucked us economically, in the number of American soldiers sent to slaughter needlessly, and in regards to global reputation. It is becoming increasingly evident that the United States is no longer the top dog in the world, in part due to the poor leadership of the past 8 years.

Thankfully in November things are going to change. McCain is the furthest candidate to the right and he's pretty close to the middle - and I don't think he has a shot against Obama. Both houses of Congress will see great gains for Democrat candidates and global repair can begin in November. Will we ever regain our seat on top? Probably not, given the powerhouse of the Asian economies and the fact that the United States really doesn't have any major exports anymore other than Anti-Terrorism fearmongering. But we'll be able to at least get back in the right direction.

... the United States really doesn't have any major exports anymore...

The United States biggest export I think is the monies we continue spreading around the globe as foreign aid. Hopefully whoever the winner in November is will take a serious look at the foreign aid we currently put tax monies into and start paring the list. It is far past time for the U.S. to stop being the victim of extortion, which a large portion of our foreign aid boils down to, and to start giving some justification for the aid we do give in the future.

Well put By. while i am by no means an isolationist i see what? trillions spent in Iraq for what? mean while we have interstate bridges falling down during rush hour here!
makes me wanna face the direction of washinton and scream "What about us!"
We have a catastropic failure of anything resembling leadership in this country for far too long. on both sides of the aisle.

We have been shitfucking our way through the Middle East for 40 fucking years.

Every single thing we have tried to do, or done, has blown up in our faces.

We all know about Iran and orchestrating the Iranian Coup putting the Shah in power in and eventually leading to the Ayatollah. But there is so much more that we don't talk about, it becomes a sordid litany of failure upon failure.

Do we talk about our supreme fuck up job in Afganistan? Not this one.. the first one.
You see kids... come gather around the camp fire while Old Uncle L2 tells you "histry" from olden timey days.

You see.. After we build up the Soviet Union to be a threat it never was to satisfy some conservative wet dream, and spend ourselves into massive debt to protect ourselves against a threat that didnt exist... Fate had a laugh at us all.

With a system crumbling in on itself, the Soviet Union entered into an ill fated war in Afghanistan. We see a chance and arm the Mujahadeen.
This becomes a pretty expensive war for the USSR. They look at their own failing economy and realize, far too late, that they had to make reforms. But isnt that always the case with Russia? So as part of overhauling the economy and getting back on a firmer pathing, Gorbachev decides to end the war in Afganistan.
Not many people are aware of this, but the Soviet Union had actually reached out to the US to be a mediator in the Russian withdrawl. To help order be established and a stable government in place. The warning from the Kremlin was that the Chaos would lead to a horrible mess and a dangerous government lead by religious fanatics would take power.

Not surprisingly, and smartly, we rejected this offer. Our concern was damaging the Soviet Union, humiliating them, allowing them a graceful exit would have been made all work we had done meaningless. But our concern was never for the Afgan people, really, who gives a damn, we had bigger fish to fry.

So what comes to pass, comes to pass. The Taliban take power. And the people of the Muslim world are reminded once again that they are pawns, to be used and discarded once their usefulness has ended by greater powers.

A good read to catch up on history
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/51/100.html

*gets cosey around the fire with Old Uncle L2*

So, the Soviet's overbloated defense spending coupled with the gargantuan expense of a war in a backwater relatively poor Islamic state led them to utter fiscal and economic collapse?

Hmmmmm..... Naw nevermind.

Well. It was more inherent flaws in the communist system than anything else.

The Bear was dying.

Afghanistan was a small thing comparing the structural shortcomings of the Soviet Union, and Communism. Like a patient raked with cancer getting a cold.

The funny thing is, however, the fake importance so many different people placed on it.

Some in the US (the Neo Cons) saw it as the ultimate justification of aggressive use of US Power and claimed victory because of their actions.

Others in the Middle East (the Jihadists) see it as proof that the "faithful" could stand toe to toe with a Superpower and win, resulting in that superpowers destruction. So THEY claim victory because of their actions.

The reality is that neither side is right and both are living in illusion. The irony enters when both clash vs each other using this mythology as justification.