Gates says Iraq politics disappointing

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

It looks like Bush might be trying to shift some blame to the Iraq government.

Quote:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday he was disappointed with the Iraqi government's lack of significant progress and said the nation's parliament should not have taken a summer break.

He said he had urged the parliament not to recess while U.S. troops were fighting in intense summer heat, trying to buy time for Iraqi political leaders to resolve their differences.

"I said 'for every day that we buy you, we're buying it with American blood. The idea of you going on vacation is unacceptable,'" he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Iraq's parliament recessed this week for the month of August, the same week the main Sunni bloc quit Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.

The Iraqi government is under pressure to reach a power sharing deal with the country's divided sects, as well as to pass key laws for fair distribution of oil revenues, readmit former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to civil service and set a date for provincial elections.

"The disappointing part of this, of course, is the lack of significant progress at the national level and the Sunni withdrawal from the government," said Gates on CNN's "Late Edition."

Gates was speaking just days after visiting Egypt and Saudi Arabia with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Source

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

I will bet he does find it disappointing. The Iraqis have a mind of their own, in some cases, and are not playing ball with Washington, which is a good thing, IMO.

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

Another look. Have you noticed that they keep throwing bits of good news at every chance, but will not state anything as the way to solve the prob.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States envisions a long-term residual US military presence in Iraq, amid "disappointing" political progress that will force a strategic reassessment next month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.

Gates said a reduction in the 155,000-strong US force in Iraq by the end of this year was "a possibility" but gave no hint of what US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus will recommend when they report to Congress in September.

In US television interviews, Gates said the US "surge" troop hike had succeeded in dampening violence and that progress was being made in places like Al-Anbar province, where he said Sunni former opponents of the US occupation have switched to the US side recent months.

LINK

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

Considering both our governments are controling the news coming out of Iraq, they make it easy to only inform us of "Progress"

They don't have a solution because Iraq realizes they have a puppet government, and a political solution is impossible under that situation. IMO.

Quote:

Gates said a reduction in the 155,000-strong US force in Iraq by the end of this year was "a possibility"

BS. They know a political solution won't happen that soon.

Quote:

Gates said the US "surge" troop hike had succeeded in dampening violence and that progress was being made in places like Al-Anbar province, where he said Sunni former opponents of the US occupation have switched to the US side recent months.

BS. They are controlling the media coming out of that region so any real progress is suspect. IMO.

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

You know it pisses me off because our Reps are off for a month, but that is somehow ok. Lead by example not words!