National Iraqi News Agency reports a Tikrit roadside bombing left one police officer injured, a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the lives of 3 people (two were police officers), and a Riyad attack left Riyadh Council member Abdel-Elah Mohamed Abdallah Obeidi dead and Council member Habis Naji al-Obeidi injured. Baghdad News adds that a Baquba bombing injured three farmers. Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 188 violent deaths in Iraq so far this month. That averages out to 15.67 deaths per day so far this month.
Another problem's developed. Nouri wants a new president of Iraq. All Iraq News reports there is call for President Jalal Talbani to be replaced. Who's calling for it. The Supreme Judicial Council that Nouri controls. Alsumaria notes the court is demanding the Parliament replace Jalal. Last year, Talabani suffered a stroke. The incident took place late on December 17th (see the December 18th snapshot) and resulted in Jalal being admitted to Baghdad's Medical Center Hospital. Thursday, December 20th, he was moved to Germany. He remains in Germany currently. Friday, All Iraq News noted that the PUK's Najm al-Din Karim declared today that the rumors are false and that "Talabani enjoys good health and has continuous improvement" and "Talabani's health continues to improve day after day." Kitabat reports the court's demand notes Jalal's "lengthy absence." They also note that MP Khaled Huani (with Parliament's Legal Committee and part of the Kurdistan Alliance -- Jalal is a Kurd) declared that the Committee read the court's request, discussed it and then rejected it on the grounds that the request was illegal and unconstitutional.
Nouri's efforts come as Al Rafidayn reports he's fighting back rumors about his own health. (The rumors are that he's seriously ill and will be leaving the country for medical treatment.) If the rumors were true, that would be interesting -- Iraq's president and Iraq's prime minister both out of the country seeking medical treatment.
Saturday came news that State of Law was backing Nouri for a third term. For some reason, the western press didn't consider that news. Dropping back to February 5, 2011:
This week has seen a lot of words but not a lot of action. Words include the announcement that Nouri won't seek a third term. Why does it matter who he said it to?
Announced by who? The Los Angeles Times isn't clear. He said it to Sammy Ketz of AFP in an interview. Ketz reports him stating he won't seek a third term, that 8 years is enough and that he supports a measure to the Constitution limiting prime ministers to two terms.
Dropping back to February 6, 2011:
That was written yesterday and Nouri couldn't even go 24 hours sticking to his 'promise.' Ben Lando and Munaf Ammar (Wall St. Journal) report that Nouri's spokesperson, Ali al-Mousawi, declared today, "We would like to correct this article. Maliki said, 'I think that the period of eight years is adequate for the application of a successful program to the prime minister, and if he is not successful, he must vacate his place'." Of course he's not announcing that. He's a thug. His previous four year term was an utter failure.
The next month, the New York Times' editorial board's "Mr. Maliki's Power Grab" would note:
Instead of taking responsibility, Mr.
Maliki charged that the protests were organized by "terrorists." He
ordered the closing of the offices of two political parties that helped
lead the demonstrations.
His only concessions were vows not to seek a third term in 2014 and to cut his pay in half. That was not persuasive, especially given his many recent power grabs.
His only concessions were vows not to seek a third term in 2014 and to cut his pay in half. That was not persuasive, especially given his many recent power grabs.
It was not persuasive, it was not plausible and now he's breaking his 'promise.' Iraq Times throws back Nouri's own words at him, how he declared (February 2011) that the Constitution did not prevent him from seeking a third term but his personal decision was not to do so. He also stated that he was going to attempt to change the Constitution to limit the prime minister to two terms.
Kitabat also reports that the Baghdad judiciary is attempting to seize control of the Hawija investigation. April 23rd, Nouri al-Maliki's federal forces stormed a sit-in in Hawija, Kirkuk. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. UNICEF informed the world that 8 of the dead were children and twelve more children were left injured. Nouri controls the judiciary. That's the second problem.
The first? Courts don't do investigations. Courts do trials. The judges are not qualified to investigate and they do not have the power to investigate. Nouri's attempts to escape responsibility for the massacre are growing ever more public. For example, Baghdad News reports the UNHCR has condemned attempts by State of Law MP Kamal Saadi to interfere with their investigation.
Bonnie reminds that Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Penny Pig Pritzker" and Kat's "Kat's Korner: Natalie Maines releases a mother of an album" went up yesterday.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
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