Today marked the death of the 1500th US serviceman or woman in Iraq. Tragic. Hearts and prayers go out to all their families and friends.
The trend isn't good either :
| Death Count | Days to Reach | |
As if the loss of lives and limbs isn't yet enough, it also seems we have to spend even more money. House Republicans will propose tacking about $1.8 billion in extra defense spending onto the $81.9 billion package President Bush wants for the wars in Iraq. That brings the total to over $200 Billion, and rising fast.
And over a month after the election, a government is still to be formed
Negotiations between the religious Shiite coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, which has 54 percent of seats in the parliament, have bogged down with the Kurdish Alliance, which has 27 percent, according to the Scotsman. The UIA needs 66% to form a government. In theory, the UIA could call parliament to be seated even without forming a government, since calling a meeting would require only a simple majority.
In contrast, AFP reports relative optimism that the issues between the Kurds and the Shiites can be resolved. It admits, though, that "Jaafari’s number two official, Jawad Maliky, warned Wednesday the parliament will be convened next week, with or without agreement on a national government line up."
Az-Zaman: Iyad Allawi said on Wednesday that the interference of the Shiite religious authorities [he means Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani] in politics is a matter that "is injurious to it and to the religion itself." He said "The interference of the religious autority in the game of politics is injurious to it and even to religion itself. It is not right to resort to this path or to depend upon it, for Islam is too exalted to push into this sort of game, and the religious authority has a position such that we wish to keep it safeguarded and removed from political maneuverings." He warned, "This game will end by pushing the religious authority into a narrow corner. It will transform it into part of one bloc, and then into just one faction within it, and finally will isolate it for the purposes of just a handful of persons. We desire for it a wider station. Its arena is the entire nation, with all its people and capacities." Allawi complained about Sistani having given Jaafari his blessing as candidate for prime minister, but said he would not hold it against the grand ayatollah, whom, he said, he respected and appreciated.
I think it's about time we had some honestly and a real plan.
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