They must go, and soon

Haifa Zangana

...Politically, Maliki's government is totally isolated from the people and unable to provide what any government should: security, basic services, and dignity to people in their daily lives. With no real power, it is consumed from inside, like an old wooden ship eaten by termites, by sectarian, ethnic division, but above all by corruption, militias and death squads. Maliki was so shaken by the news of an imminent US change in strategy that Bush had to call him to reassure him there was no American deadline for the Iraqi government to stand on its own. Corruption is endemic among Iraqi officials and the US administration alike. Billions of dollars have been lost or redirected to "security". Judge Radhi Al-Radhi, head of the Commission on Public Integrity, which is tackling corruption, said around $4.5 billion has "disappeared". Meanwhile, occupation forces, militias, security forces, mercenaries and contractors enjoy immunity from Iraqi law. Indeed, whereas once Iraqi law was the protector of the Iraqi citizen, it is now toothless to ensure Iraqi civil rights. No wonder that support for the popular national resistance is increasing with most Iraqis celebrating the success of attacks on occupation forces...

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