Here's a reminder that the death toll of the Iraq war is now estimated around 2 million Iraqi people
And the Iraq War continues.
Hopes that a new prime minister would change things appear already dashed. Bobby Ghosh (BLOOMBERG NEWS) weighs in on Adel Abdul al-Mahdi's inability to form a full Cabinet last week:
The political groups he warned about — a half-dozen factions whose backing he needed for his confirmation — jockeyed ferociously for control of key ministries, leaving Abdul Mahdi unable to deliver on his promise of a cabinet of “technocrats.” His picks to run the oil and electricity ministries may fit that description, but in other positions it seems clear that Abdul Mahdi’s choices were forced on him. None of the nominations came from an online application process he announced earlier this month, designed to attract fresh talent to government. Worryingly, his nominee for the powerful interior ministry is Falih al-Fayadh, who ran the Iran-backed militias known as Popular Mobilization Forces militias. (The vote on his nomination, and at least some of the others, is expected on Nov. 6.)
The difficulty Abdul Mahdi has already had with the cabinet-formation process bodes ill for the other challenges that lie ahead. Among those he prophesied in the May essay: resistance by political parties to the institutionalization of government departments, to ending rentierism in the economy, to the separation of powers between the legislative and the executive, to the dismantling of politically affiliated militias, and to transparency in security agreements with other nations, including Iran.
And al-Mahdi's talking about everything except addressing corruption. Today, he was thundering about the need to secure the borders.
A female MP in Basra is not so quick to forge the needs of the people. THE BAGHDAD POST reports:
Basra's MP Thawra Kadhim announced the intention of the 25 Basra Parliamentarians to suspend their own memberships in the Parliament, as a means to force Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to choose candidates from Basra in the new government.
Nasr Alliance's Kadhim said in a press statement that the Basra MPs are waiting to sign on a statement that was already written, and subsequently announce the suspension of their memberships.
Sounds like al-Mahdi needs to get on the job.
Isaiah's latest comic goes up after this and Cedric and Wally updated their sites:
Alyssa Milano remains stupid
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