As Waleed Ibrahim and Wisam Mohammed (Reuters) note, the talking point is the 'oil law' which is finally (allgedly) going from the ministry to the Parliament. (For those confused, yes, the Parliament is supposed to write their own legislation, not rubber stamp what al-Maliki's government sends them. A process that confused US Democrats in Congress all the time -- most recently with their rubber stamp for Bully Boy's illegal spying, granted as they rushed off for their summer vacations.) The 'oil law' is not the revenue sharing which the Parliament has already discussed. This is the 'privatization' (theft) of Iraqi oil that will hand as much as 70% of all proceeds over to foreign companies. Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi is already putting a damper on the spin by declaring that more talks are required. The reporters tell you that al-Maliki also took shots at US Senators Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton by name, stating that Iraq is not their backyard. Left unstated was al-Maliki's belief that it is the backyard of the Bully Boy.
Wisam Mohammed (Reuters) reports that the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front is already saying that meeting or not, it "will not be enough to lure boycotting Sunni Arabs back into the government".
Chris Collins (McClatchy Newspapers) reminds that al-Maliki has lashed out others in the past, including the administration and former US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad; however, he added a new target for his rage: the US military which he declared was making "big mistakes."
Carol J. Williams (Los Angeles Times) informs that the lashing out took place at "a hastily called news conference" where al-Maliki also attacked France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
And what's up with that? Wasn't Kouchner just in Iraq last week? Didn't he make the first official visit to Iraq? Petter Allen (Telegraph of London) cites a Newsweek interview with Kouchner where he explains he was on the phone with US Secretary of State and Anger Condi Rice and told her, "Listen, he's got to be replaced." He?
Though one can dream that he was referring to the Bully Boy, the reality was that he meant the puppet, Nouri al-Maliki. Kouchner declared the Iraqi 'government' wasn't accomplished anything and that this might be addressed were it not for the fact "Bush is attached to Mr Maliki. But the government is not functioning."
CNN reports the puppet has a host of demands including that Carl Levin and Hillary clinton must "come to their senses" (stand in line, al-Maliki, stand in line) and "talk in a respectful way about Iraq" (in other words, he wants them to lie) while the government of France must issue an immediate apology.
In other words, the publicly paranoid puppet is becoming increasingly unhinged and experienced a very public meltdown yesterday.
James Glanz (New York Times) observes that al-Maliki's paranoia is bi-partisan since he "previously reacted with anger to President Bush's criticism of the Iraqi government's lack of political process" and that al-"Maliki appeared to reach a new level of stridency" in his attacks on Levin and Clinton. For those who do not possess a New York Times to English Glossary, when the paper calls you "strident," they've issued their ultimate insult and you're now open game in their blood sport of attacks ("See: Bella Abzug," would read the glossary -- among other examples).
Why is he lashing out at the US military? Concern for all of Iraq? Oh, you're joking. Martha notes Megan Greenwell's "Iraqi Leaders Reach Accord On Prisoners, Ex-Baathists" (Washington Post) which explains the puppet "denounced U.S. military raids in Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad". Yes, al-Sadr's support remains the most important thing to al-Maliki because the other support has dried up and if the US waives the Kurdish north forward on creating their own province, al-Maliki won't have the weak support they've given him previously.
No doubt al-Maliki is longing for the happier days of April captured in Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "My Cousin Maliki" (April 22, 2007).
And Isaiah's latest? It's in the inbox. But it isn't. Isaiah just called and said, "Don't post that one. I'm doing a new one and it'll be done in about half and hour." (After which, I'll have to upload it to Flickr, so add a few minutes there -- if Flickr's not acting up.)
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