Another Milestone reached in Iraq

On May 20th 2006, the newly elected Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki, presented his new cabinet to the Iraqi National Assembly for confirmation. Applause filled the chamber as each member of Iraq's new cabinet was named and approved.

This is a long awaited milestone for the Iraqi people. After more than 5 months of haggling and just two days before the constitutional deadline to submit a cabinet, al-Maliki was able to put together a government that was accepted by the entire parliament. The challenges do not end there; there are some critical appointments to this knew Iraqi cabinet that have yet to be filled. While Maliki acknowledges the challenges ahead, he should take pride in what he and the Iraqi people have accomplished thus far. In spite of all that the Iraqi people are enduring, despite the pessimistic views and energy being directed towards anything that has to do with Iraq, the people of Iraq continue to press forward with unwavering determination to take full control of their country and their future.

While I see this event as an absolute positive, the reactions around the world range from cautious optimism to down-right hope of failure. Notwithstanding the violence that is occurring in Iraq, I see the Iraqi people determined to overcome this violence and to bring their country into a era of peace. They have taken hold of the freedom they have long desired. This isn't an American philosophy being forced upon them but it is an Iraqi desire for self determination, self-rule and peace that draws the good people of Iraq to defend their country from the insurgents and terrorist who wish only for the complete opposite of the Iraqi people.

The semantics and style of reporting used by the media reveal how they would like to paint the picture of Iraq. No good news in Iraq is reported without a death toll from recent attacks. In contrast, the United States can have the position of the CIA Director vacant while the Senators debate the qualifications of the next person to take that seat and no one will say the US Government is weak or treads on a thin alliance to govern. The President of the United States can announce the signing of a bill that would best serve the people of the United States and never a mention will there be of the murders committed in Washington D.C. or the nation as a whole.

Iraq can't have a school open, or a Government Cabinet formed without a list of the most recent deaths and/or attacks listed in the middle of that same report. They don't want the thought of death in war to be far from any news of peace.

According to the Associated Press, there is

"no guarantee of success"

and their report went on to note;

"As the Cabinet was sworn in, at least 33 people were killed in a series of attacks across Iraq, and police found the bodies of 22 Iraqis who apparently had been kidnapped and tortured by death squads that plague the capital and other areas."

The AP story also cited "Many (nameless) analysts" who say that Iraq has taken on the characteristics of an "irregular civil war". An "irregular civil war"??? I assume this is a civil war that isn't...but those reporting on it desire it to be in order to justify their continuous assault against the entire effort to remove Saddam and free the Iraqi people. What next? Analysts are going to discover the 'irregular diet'?

The LA Times sees the Iraqi government as

"too diverse to prevail"

. The LA Times also suggests that the Prime Minister of Iraq

"has a Cabinet so wide-ranging that it could collapse, a 34-point program aimed at satisfying each faction, and a disillusioned, weary nation to govern."

Though the LA Times did not mention an "irregular civil war" they did feel it pertinent to present the new and freely elected Iraqi government as an act of appeasement,

"On the surface, the Cabinet of Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds unveiled Saturday appears to be just the body to appease a torn nation. Urbanites keen for a secular state sit alongside religious Iraqis in search of Islamic rule; advocates of loose federalism vie against leaders demanding a strong central government."

I guess according to the LA Times, people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and religious views aren't able to form a government for all the people of Iraq. In light of that, I wonder how they view the United States Congress?

The Iraqi people continue to press forward despite the fatalistic views of such groups as the LA Times and the Associated Press. I applaud their success and I support their efforts to continue down the road of freedom and democracy.


Mike DiBartolo