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sfgate.com - 1/31/2009
U.S. resists cleric's demand for direct elections in Iraq / Officials insist Shiite leader's plan won't fly
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Officials insist Shiite leader's plan won't fly Robert Collier, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, January 13, 2004 On top of its military difficulties in Iraq, the Bush administration is caught in the embarrassing position of resisting calls of "democracy now" from Islamic clerics and former ...
juancole.com - 2/6/2009
Religious Parties Sweep Shiite South; Sunni Arabs fragmented, mainly Secular.
— juancole.com — The Iraqi provincial election results are out. They confirm what I said last Monday, that the parties... who want a strong, united Iraq have come to the fore in these elections. Although Nuri al-Maliki's Da'wa Party got over a third of the votes in ... (more) Religious Parties Sweep Shiite South; Sunni Arabs ...

Comments vote down Opinionator found this 2/6/2009found this
The Fractured Shia of Iraq: Understanding the Tensions within Iraq’s Majority
americanprogress.org - 1/28/2009
The Fractured Shia of Iraq: Understanding the Tensions within Iraq’s Majority
— americanprogress.org — Understanding the Tensions within Iraq’s Majority By Matthew Duss , Peter Juul | January 28, 2009 Read... the full report (pdf) Download the executive summary (pdf) Background brief: Major Shia political groups Background brief: Shia Islam On January 31, ... (more) The Fractured Shia of Iraq: Understanding the Tensions ...

Comments vote down Wonk Room found this 1/28/2009found this
wizbangblog.com - 1/31/2009
More Free Elections in Iraq
— wizbangblog.com — If you want a sign of just how successful we have been in Iraq, note the little... attention this story is getting. Iraqis are electing new provincial councils in the... (more) More Free Elections in Iraq

Comments vote down The Anchoress found this 1/31/2009found this

Blog Reactions

Newshoggers.com:  (Most of) Iraq Votes

Crooks and Liars:  (Most of) Iraq Votes

The Reaction:  Iraq holds peaceful provincial elections, but sectarian tensions remain

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Blog Reactions

(Most of) Iraq Votes
Newshoggers.com — ... Not least, of course, that such elections might never have happened at all if the Bush administration had had its way. Despite the popularity nowadays of the conservative meme that Bush wanted to bring democracy to Iraq, Paul Bremer, head of the CPA, had wanted to simply keep US-appointed tame politicos in power. But Ayatollah Sistani demanded real elections with thinly veiled hints of a general Shiite insurrection to go with the Sunni-led insurgency if no elections were held, and a quick historical revision swifty ensued. ...

(Most of) Iraq Votes
Crooks and Liars — The majority of Iraq has voted in provincial elections today, with a very minimum of violence, as I had hoped. Which is great news but unsurprising given the massive security lockdown mounted for the event. Razorwire cordons, security checkpoints, closed airports and a total ban on vehicular traffic in cities - all just to have an election. Still, that it happened at all is encouraging, even if far from the shining victory the American right are hailing it as. I hate to rain on their victory parade but there are a couple of flies in their Mission Accomplished" ointment. Not least, of course, that such elections might ...

Iraq holds peaceful provincial elections, but sectarian tensions remain
The Reaction — By Michael J.W. Stickings Obama: "I congratulate the people of Iraq on holding significant provincial elections... This important step forward should continue the process of Iraqis taking responsibility for their future." ********** In response to yesterday's relatively peaceful, if not entirely successful, provincial elections in Iraq, our friend Cernig provided typically insightful context and analysis: The majority of Iraq has voted in provincial elections ...

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Iraq 2009 Elections Updates
mudvillegazette.com 2/1/2009 — Peace, high turnout reported at Iraq polls -(CNN) Half of Iraq's eligible voters turned out for peaceful provincial elections this weekend, the election commission said Sunday. An Iraqi man whose finger has been ink stained after voting makes a ...
Changes
mudvillegazette.com 1/20/2009 — This week in the history of the Iraq war : January 13, 1993: With Iraqi missile sites still operational south of the 32d parallel, and Iraqi troops making repeated forays across the newly demarcated border with Kuwait, President Bush orders ...
What The Hell Just Happened In Iraq?
andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com 2/2/2009 — It's very hard not to be cheered by the provincial elections over the weekend. Yes, the Sunni vote still seems somewhat depressed, and this could lead to trouble down the line, especially in Anbar; yes, the entire country was in virtual lockdown just ...
Iraq
whitehouse.gov 1/20/2009 — IRAQ President Obama and Vice President Biden will responsibly end the war in Iraq so that we can renew our military strength, dedicate more resources to the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and invest in our economy at home. The ...
Re-Arming Iraq
wonkroom.thinkprogress.org 1/15/2009 — Our guest blogger is Peter Juul , a Research Associate at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. In 2008, the Iraqi government went on a military spending spree, signaling its intent to buy large quantities of advanced weapons from the ...
US Troops To Leave Iraq By August 2010: Officials
huffingtonpost.com 2/24/2009 — WASHINGTON — The United States will withdraw most of its troops from Iraq by August 2010, 19 months after President Barack Obama's inauguration day, according to administration officials who expect Obama to make the announcement this week.  ...
The Next Steps To Get Out Of Iraq
wonkroom.thinkprogress.org 2/27/2009 — Our guest blogger is Peter Juul , Research Associate at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Today, the New York Times reports that President Obama plans to withdraw only two combat brigades from Iraq prior to that country’s next national ...
The Beginning of the End? Obama, Gates Outline Iraq Drawdown
attackerman.firedoglake.com 2/27/2009 — Update : In a conference call with reporters immediately after President Obama's Iraq-withdrawal speech , Defense Secretary Bob Gates said that the withdrawal plan has the support of key military leaders. "I'm obviously very supportive of ...
A New Iraq
mudvillegazette.com 1/9/2009 — A view from two Iraqi brothers, a New Iraq Emerges from Tyranny and War (Excerpt): The headlines for those cynics do not go beyond the throw of a shoe, whereas my headlines look into the future and speak of a new Iraq. My headlines speak of ...
The Unlikely Dissident
julescrittenden.com 2/8/2009 — Ricks on Odierno. A Washington Post surge series kicks off today with an "unlikely dissident," a look at Odierno's role in shifting US strategy from moving out of the cities to moving into them, from drawdown to victory. A couple of highlights and ...
U.S. attorney adds Mahony to his file — L.A. Times - Politics 1/30/2009
Thomas P. O'Brien, who charged a former Marine with manslaughter and sought to strip a motorcycle gang of its identity, immerses himself in the grand jury investigation of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony. >  ...
Official: No New Blackwater Iraq Contract — TIME.com Top Politics Stories 1/30/2009
The State Department will not renew Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May, a senior U.S. official said Friday
U.S. will not renew Blackwater contract in Iraq — Reuters: Politics 1/31/2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has told Blackwater Worldwide, the private security firm whose guards are accused of killing Iraqi civilians while protecting U.S. diplomats, that it will not renew its contract in Iraq.
Blackwater's Iraq deal not to be renewed (AP) — Yahoo! News: Politics News 1/31/2009
AP - The State Department said Friday it will not renew Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May.
New president, new battlefield — L.A. Times - Politics 2/1/2009
Fixing Afghanistan and Pakistan will be harder than fixing Iraq, and the penalties for failure are greater. > In his presidential campaign, Barack Obama ...