What's Another War in Iraq?
By Spencer Ackerman
02/27/2008
08:52AM
Somehow no one cares that Turkey has invaded Iraqi Kurdistan. On Monday, despite Baghdad officials' denunciation, Lt. Gen. Carter ham said he was "heartened" by Iraq-Turkish dialogue. Now the Kurdistan Regional Government has voted to use its 100,000-plus militia force, the pesh merga, against the Turkish military if the Turks move into civilian areas.
In January 2006, I went to Iraqi Kurdistan and interviewed, among others, the elderly minister of defense, Hahmid Effendi. I asked Effendi how many pesh fighters there were -- estimates vary -- and he hinted in the direction of the figure cited above. Except, he said, if any of Kurdistan's neighbors invade. In that case, even the elderly women would become pesh, Effendi told me.
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© 2007 The Washington Independent
Comments:
Posted 02/27/2008 09:07am with
“THE SURGE IS WORKING!” Why, just ask Bush/Cheney/Rice/Petraeus/Blitzer/Wolfowitz/Scooby-Doo/theWashingtonPost/theNewYorkTimes/ABCBSNBCMSNBCNN/any damn fool drooling out on Amerika’s streets/and or that loosely connected lunatic fringe floating around Tony Blair’s Parliament. So what we have here is FAILURE to surge-itate. Regurgitate? Turkey wades in and won’t be long and Syria wades in and Iran wades in and presto just like magic, Bush gots his W.W.III the really freaking nuclear big one. At that point, someone anyone needs to slap the smirk off of Bill Kristol’s smarmy and smug face and clap his warmongering ass in irons! That Kristol remark might be a mite over the top but, it needed to be said.
Posted 02/27/2008 12:01pm with
The U.S. respects and defends Irag’s sovereignty…really, we do.
—sorta, mostly…
Or, sometimes not.
Posted 02/27/2008 01:20pm with
An adjunct and equally big story is the RNCs new spin on Iraq. Evidently they have decided to resell the war as a win. They wouldn’t define win to save their mothers life but it’s the new sliced bread. Coinciding with McCain they are ramping up the rhetoric. I dont know if its desperation or they think this is viable, but Iraq is worse now than ever. Sects are entrenched, Kurdistan is being polite, but considers itself independent. Bush is on very thin ice with Turkey. If war breaks out between Kurdistan and Turkey it will be the nail in the coffin of the pretend government.
It seems the deal is a variation of the Reagan bargain back in 79. Pay everybody off to keep quiet until after Jan. Then its someone else’s problem.