Category: The Dish

My military reader in Iraq (who will remain anonymous) offers some more detailed independent evidence to back up his view that Sunni-Shia reconciliation is happening, and that partition or withdrawal would be mistaken:

Here are some independent sources you can consult if needed regarding Sunni-Shia cooperation.  You can find all of these in the public domain (although to get the full import of what is going on it would help a great deal if you spoke Arabic or could have a reliable translator translate it). – In May 2007, Sahawa al-Iraq (the Sunni militia which defeated AQI in Anbar) met with the Sadr Trend (Maqtada al-Sadr’s guys).  It was a big meeting which received widespread publicity.

– In Oct 2007, Sahawa al-Iraq had several major and well publicized meetings (in Anbar) with the ISCI/Badr to discuss cooperation between them.

– Also in Oct 2007, Sahawa al-Iraq had several major and well publicized meetings (againg in Anbar) with the Shia Karbala Sheikhs to discuss cooperation between them.

None of these meetings were facilitated by Coalition Forces.  They did it themselves.

– The bitter and damn near universal condemnation by Sunnis in the Iraqi press and official government statements late last year when the US Congress passed their bill in favor of some kind of Iraqi partition.  The reaction on the Iraqi street was even more negative (probably because the average Iraqi didn’t really understand what the US Congress had done or what it meant- they just heard the US was going to partition Iraq).

– Neither the Shia Arabs, Sunni Arabs nor Sunni Kurds have a majority in the Iraqi Council of Representatives and hence cannot get any legislation passed by themselves.  Every piece of legislation passed requires a non-sectarian, non-ethnic voting block to get the required votes.  Get an English translation of the legislation passed into law in the past year and remember that simple fact- it would open some eyes to what is really happening here.  Incidentally, I confidently predict that the Iraqis will find an acceptable compromise on every piece of major legislation still in the works.

Kenyan bloggers respond to the power-sharing deal in Nairobi. One opinion:

It is my sincere hope that the International press the likes of Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, SKY News will now feature this joyous news on a 15 minute basis to highlight that Kenyans are not just about machettes but co-existence , perseverance,  resilience, agreement, peace, love and unity. Dont just sell the negative!

Two fewer: Lamar Alexander and Amy Klobuchar had indeed held elective office before the Senate.

This time: the Miami Herald’s Jim Morin.

Sean Bugg explains:

There’s a part of me that’s always thinking that the bisexuals are getting the joys of homo transgression while reaping the benefits of hetero assimilation.

The phone rings. Alex Massie thinks of the Duke of Wellington.

Even with the money he raised off the NYT article, McCain only brought in $12 million this month.

The video:

A reader writes:

For the record, the following current Senators have not held prior elected office:

Mel Martinez
Ted Kennedy
Amy Klobuchar
Chuck Hagel
Hillary Clinton
Elizabeth Dole
Lamar Alexander
Orin Hatch
Robert Bennett
John Warner
Jim Webb
Herb Kohl

There are lots of reasons to dislike the way political power is acquired in America. But why are Elizabeth Dole and Hillary Clinton subjected to a kind of skepticism that one never hears about, for example, Lincoln Chaffee or Evan Bayh? What is less reputable about nepotism-by-marriage than about nepotism-by-birth? I struggle to see how anything but gender plays the primary role in this dynamic.

There is, to my mind, no valid distinction between marital nepotism and other sorts. Glad to have this info on the table.

Some didn’t buy it:

I had some extra time so I thought I’d do a quick survey of a blogpost at the NYTimes on the Clinton red phone ad. Of the 95 responses, I counted 19 positive responses for Clinton, 69 for Obama, and 7 that were too close to call.