Captain's Quarters -

I'm sort of at a loss here. I thought they recess for Ramadan, and Ramadan just started, hasn't it?

If they're in session now, things are serious.

But they aren't getting around to doing the IMPORTANT work of their nation... investigating Bush! Our Congress is judging the Iraqi Parliament by our own standards, so the only way that Iraq will earn any credibility with the Democrats or the MSM is if the Iraqis finally get around to impeaching Bush, and showing that he really DID commit crimes at Abu Ghraib and Haditha and...

I mean, how long does it TAKE Iraq to put together a simple investigative committee?!?

Rama-Dama-Ding-Dong starts next Friday or Saturday.

As to the imams; whatever their messages are to the "faithful," I'm reminded of a joke told about St. Peters Square, in Rome. Where lots of Italians go to hear the Pope, when he opens the window, and speaks out.

Turns out in this old joke, the pope's way too sick to appear; and, somebody's gotta be willing to donate their organ, to keep him alive. At which point, there are so many volunteers calling; that the pontifical aide, not able to decide who should be chosen, says he'll drop a feather out the window. And, on whomever's shoulder it falls, will be considered the donor.

So, you hear "Bless me Father," while the feather is poofed away, with another breath.

In other words? Sometimes, the faithful talk a good game. But they don't want to exactly volunteer for something really crazy.

And, for Rama-Dama-Ding-Dong? First, the imams need to collect the donor money.

Then, they need to be sure to tell everybody they can't feast till midnight. And, shouldn't be seen in daylight, munching food stuff.

And, once you've dealt with that; how do you deal with Osama and his fake beard? Will they have a store that also sells "whoopie cushions that explode?" (I saw that joke up at InstaPundit.)

Also, if you first have to get the crowds excited enough, so they go out into the streets with their "seething rages," how do they then do more "Glasgow?" It's not like it's as easy as ordering enough balloons, ya know?

I also do believe the sunnis have enough experience, now, to know the Saudi money didn't stick Irak into their pockets.

They also know (from past experiences), that when Ghandi played the3 pacifist card in WW2; the muslems there got to trump the hindus. But then came land divisions; and nobody did as well as they had done when the Raj was under British control.

You think I'm kidding? Nah.

Irak's been maturing while we're watching.

While Osama jumped the shark as Bin Lunatic.

You sure have to wade through a lot of crepe-hanging in these news articles before you finally get to the good news.

Interestingly, the news story appears to have been rewritten to make it even more pessemistic than when the link was first quoted:

As originally quoted above:

A small Sunni Arab bloc ended its parliamentary boycott Saturday, returning to the legislature as it considers key benchmark legislation demanded by Washington amid increasing pressure to end the political deadlock.

The return of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue ends the last boycott of parliament, which had contributed to the political paralysis. ...

Major Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders said they had agreed in principle on some of the 18 issues that the U.S. has set as benchmarks. Among them were holding provincial elections, releasing prisoners held without charge and changing the law preventing many former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from holding government jobs and elected office.

The so-called de-Baathification draft law appears to be the closest to being ready.

As the news story reads now (boldface mine):

Al-Mutlaq's Sunni party, the Iraqi National Dialogue Front, announced it was ending its parliamentary boycott so it can participate in the debate over stalled benchmark legislation demanded by Washington, including a draft law on sharing Iraq's oil riches. The party has only 11 of the 275 seats and its return has limited effect.

A law aimed at returning thousands of members of Saddam Hussein's ousted Baath Party to government appeared to be the closest to being ready.

On a related note, look how the story expands what was basically the blowing-up of a barber shop. Eight of the twelve victims were in that shop. And "36 other people were killed or found dead in Iraq"? That's a grand total of 48 documented violent deaths in all of Iraq on a given day. How does that compare to the average over the past year?

Geez, Captain, you had me going there.

It would have been bit of a larger boost if, as you said, "That effort got a boost today when the Sunnis ended the final political boycott of the Assembly" except that it was a party of eleven members of the 275 assembly. Maybe the word "some" should be in your sentence or headline.

The particular party, Iraqi National Dialogue Front, believes that the December 2005 elections had widespread fraud, and wants to kick out occupying foreign troops, and wants most to kill the de-Ba'athification laws of the benchmarks the U.S. has been working for.

I assume passing the legislation would be big, but actually having competent former Ba'athists working on their infrastructure, side by side with Sunnis would be a bit bigger. If it turns out like U.S. immigration laws, well, they can decorate the birdcage with such paper.

Watched Fox News this morning. Major Garrett said that all his congressional contacts--Republican and Democrat alike--told him privately that nobody is willing to pass legislation that will screw up the momentum of the troop surge.

What we'll see is a repeat of what happened before: The Dems will sponsor legislation that has no hope of passing, just so they can mollify their insane base. This time, however, the insane base won't be mollified, and the Donk Party will be split.

Another great victory for the geniuses General Reid and General Pelosi.

Tom W.,

You've lost me. How can the Donks be split when there is no party to the left of them with enough critical mass?

Those Dems on the far left won't stay home because Cindy Sheehan didn't get on the ballot. They'll grit their teeth and vote for the non-Republican, because, no matter how bad the Democrat, he/she is still better than a Republican in their eyes.

Notice that Sheehan is not running as an independent, she is running as a Democrat [I'm trying to figure out how this happened after she so publicly quit the Democratic Party over their inability to end our participation in the war, but that's politics.] QED