If President Bush has lost his benchmark advisor, then I'll fill in by proposing the following:
I receive daily reports from Iraqis who are following the horrible story. Read what Omar Ziada, an Iraqi, has to say about benchmarks:
By Omar Ziada
It seems that everyone these days is talking about benchmarks. Mr. Bush started it by setting out certain benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet but the goal posts seems to be moving back all the time.
He asks that the Maliki government must be given more time to fulfill these benchmarks, yet there is no end in sight. I only wish he was this laid back about matters in Iraq when he took the decision to go to war as John Stewart of the Daily Show pointed out the other day in his Bush vs Bush scenario.I remember the ultimatums the late Saddam Hussein was given in 2003 when I was still in Baghdad and the war drums were beating. I remember how Mr Bush gave Mr Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq or else...
I remember the extraordinary pressure that was exerted on the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission's inspection team once they arrived in Baghdad. I remember the U.S. forces that were piling up in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan while Iraq was trying its best to fulfill the inspectors every wish. I even remember how Fox News and the rest of the U.S. media mocked the old regime when they presented all the information they had on WMDs and how they called the previous regime a bunch of liars who defied the international community -- a regime that refused to implement Security Council Resolutions pertaining to WMDs!Iraq poured its heart out to the international community time and time again and for thirteen years of the sanctions and during each of the six month revues at the Security Council Iraq presented its case and stated that there were no WMDs left. Even when Secretary Powell presented the case of WMDs in front of the UN Security Council and the schematic drawings of mobile chemical factories playing an audio of some one talking to someone about hiding something.... Or even better yet, the little plastic container he had in his had filled with a biological agent that could kill off a city. Mr. Tenet of the CIA, who fed all this information to the Secretary, has no recollection of it being such a slam dunk case! It was also pretty impressive how President Bush quickly setup an investigation into the UN Oil for Food Program to see how much money was skimmed off of Iraq's revenues. Strange! He cared that much for Iraq's oil revenues! Of course he wouldn't mention in public that the SC resolutions restricted Iraq from gaining any cash to pay for its civil servants. Iraq requested the Security Council on a number of occasions to revisit its decision, but the request was always denied. The UN organizations were even sympathetic to the Iraqi Ministries that they were working with and tried to help but couldn't.
This, of course, was part of destroying the civil administration of Iraq in parallel to the sanctions to bring down the regime. Yet the former regime began charging for contracts signed under the Oil for Food Program in 2002 and through each of the Ministries concerned. (I believe the amount was 5% or 10% of the contract value.) This was then given to each of the ministries in Iraq to pay for its staff and requirements, but of course President Bush said that it went directly to Saddam Hussein. I guess he forgot how much it would cost to run a country and maintain its infrastructure especially under sanctions. I'm pretty sure that Saddam did use a bit of the money to fund his own lifestyle, but looking around the Arab world and to its leaders, don't they all? What about President Bush himself and the companies that he profits from, like the Carlyle Group for example?Yet, I've now realized that this is how business is conducted in the United States and that you must give ultimatums and benchmarks to bring about goals and changes. So I would have expected the President to carry on his tough-guy, cowboy, macho style and kick some butt! Toss a shoe up in the air these days and it will land on a benchmark waiting to happen!
Is there no urgency anymore? Aren't people dying every day in Iraq? Isn't the world shaking about Iraq as it shook during 9/11?
I mean, seeing President Bush laughing and smiling with the Queen of England puzzled me a bit. Don't they brief him on U.S. casualties each day? How many Iraqis have died? Strike the latter. But the U.S. casualty figure is at 27 today for the month of May! There are now 3,378 United States service members dead and 24,314 wounded. And an additional 26,188 wounded or sick and required air transport out of Iraq.
Is this what he wants? He isn't asking for any changes because he's clearly "Staying the Course!" He talks of benchmarks to bring about change but does he know which of them he must push the Maliki government to achieve or has he fired his benchmarks advisor? The guy that did such an excellent job in the run up to the war in 2003!
By Omar Ziada
It seems that everyone these days is talking about benchmarks. Mr. Bush started it by setting out certain benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet but the goal posts seems to be moving back all the time.
He asks that the Maliki government must be given more time to fulfill these benchmarks, yet there is no end in sight. I only wish he was this laid back about matters in Iraq when he took the decision to go to war as John Stewart of the Daily Show pointed out the other day in his Bush vs Bush scenario.I remember the ultimatums the late Saddam Hussein was given in 2003 when I was still in Baghdad and the war drums were beating. I remember how Mr Bush gave Mr Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq or else...
I remember the extraordinary pressure that was exerted on the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission's inspection team once they arrived in Baghdad. I remember the U.S. forces that were piling up in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan while Iraq was trying its best to fulfill the inspectors every wish. I even remember how Fox News and the rest of the U.S. media mocked the old regime when they presented all the information they had on WMDs and how they called the previous regime a bunch of liars who defied the international community -- a regime that refused to implement Security Council Resolutions pertaining to WMDs!Iraq poured its heart out to the international community time and time again and for thirteen years of the sanctions and during each of the six month revues at the Security Council Iraq presented its case and stated that there were no WMDs left. Even when Secretary Powell presented the case of WMDs in front of the UN Security Council and the schematic drawings of mobile chemical factories playing an audio of some one talking to someone about hiding something.... Or even better yet, the little plastic container he had in his had filled with a biological agent that could kill off a city. Mr. Tenet of the CIA, who fed all this information to the Secretary, has no recollection of it being such a slam dunk case! It was also pretty impressive how President Bush quickly setup an investigation into the UN Oil for Food Program to see how much money was skimmed off of Iraq's revenues. Strange! He cared that much for Iraq's oil revenues! Of course he wouldn't mention in public that the SC resolutions restricted Iraq from gaining any cash to pay for its civil servants. Iraq requested the Security Council on a number of occasions to revisit its decision, but the request was always denied. The UN organizations were even sympathetic to the Iraqi Ministries that they were working with and tried to help but couldn't.
This, of course, was part of destroying the civil administration of Iraq in parallel to the sanctions to bring down the regime. Yet the former regime began charging for contracts signed under the Oil for Food Program in 2002 and through each of the Ministries concerned. (I believe the amount was 5% or 10% of the contract value.) This was then given to each of the ministries in Iraq to pay for its staff and requirements, but of course President Bush said that it went directly to Saddam Hussein. I guess he forgot how much it would cost to run a country and maintain its infrastructure especially under sanctions. I'm pretty sure that Saddam did use a bit of the money to fund his own lifestyle, but looking around the Arab world and to its leaders, don't they all? What about President Bush himself and the companies that he profits from, like the Carlyle Group for example?Yet, I've now realized that this is how business is conducted in the United States and that you must give ultimatums and benchmarks to bring about goals and changes. So I would have expected the President to carry on his tough-guy, cowboy, macho style and kick some butt! Toss a shoe up in the air these days and it will land on a benchmark waiting to happen!
Is there no urgency anymore? Aren't people dying every day in Iraq? Isn't the world shaking about Iraq as it shook during 9/11?
I mean, seeing President Bush laughing and smiling with the Queen of England puzzled me a bit. Don't they brief him on U.S. casualties each day? How many Iraqis have died? Strike the latter. But the U.S. casualty figure is at 27 today for the month of May! There are now 3,378 United States service members dead and 24,314 wounded. And an additional 26,188 wounded or sick and required air transport out of Iraq.
Is this what he wants? He isn't asking for any changes because he's clearly "Staying the Course!" He talks of benchmarks to bring about change but does he know which of them he must push the Maliki government to achieve or has he fired his benchmarks advisor? The guy that did such an excellent job in the run up to the war in 2003!
I am an Iraqi and I would like to demand 48 hours for the Maliki government to shape up or ship out.
The Arab countries along with the international community voiced their opinions at the Sharm Al-Shaikh's security meeting on Iraq the other day calling on the Maliki government to start real efforts in the reconciliation process and direct talks with the resistance. It reminded me of the criticism both the U.S. and UK continued to make when it came to the former regime and Iraq's non-compliance with the "will of the international community."
Well, are we going to see deadlines for implementation now? Will we see the U.S. drafting a Security Council Resolution enforcing the will of the international community onto the current Iraqi government?Isn't anyone going to come out and call Mr. Maiki a liar? How about the butcher of Baghdad? Iranian agent? Enforcer of sectarian divide? What about all the corruption that's going on? Will no one condemn that? Shouldn't we be seeing international auditors auditing the Coalition Provisional Authority and Mr Bremer's activities? Shouldn't auditors investigate the corruption within all the Iraqi Ministries and companies that have worked in Iraq? President Bush can even hire Paul Wolfowitz to head the team investigating corruption since he's about to lose his job at the World Bank and was one of the architects of the war on Iraq!
I would have thought that since U.S. tax payers paid for some of this money that the U.S. government would be keen to prosecute those involved! Surely President Bush would be more interested in that more so than Saddam's skimming percentages?It has taken ages to issue an Security Council resolution on Iran, but back a few years ago Iraq would get at least 4four condemning resolutions a year! What happened to the old days of tough benchmarks where targets must be met by a certain day and even on a specific hour?Bring them back I say!
The Arab countries along with the international community voiced their opinions at the Sharm Al-Shaikh's security meeting on Iraq the other day calling on the Maliki government to start real efforts in the reconciliation process and direct talks with the resistance. It reminded me of the criticism both the U.S. and UK continued to make when it came to the former regime and Iraq's non-compliance with the "will of the international community."
Well, are we going to see deadlines for implementation now? Will we see the U.S. drafting a Security Council Resolution enforcing the will of the international community onto the current Iraqi government?Isn't anyone going to come out and call Mr. Maiki a liar? How about the butcher of Baghdad? Iranian agent? Enforcer of sectarian divide? What about all the corruption that's going on? Will no one condemn that? Shouldn't we be seeing international auditors auditing the Coalition Provisional Authority and Mr Bremer's activities? Shouldn't auditors investigate the corruption within all the Iraqi Ministries and companies that have worked in Iraq? President Bush can even hire Paul Wolfowitz to head the team investigating corruption since he's about to lose his job at the World Bank and was one of the architects of the war on Iraq!
I would have thought that since U.S. tax payers paid for some of this money that the U.S. government would be keen to prosecute those involved! Surely President Bush would be more interested in that more so than Saddam's skimming percentages?It has taken ages to issue an Security Council resolution on Iran, but back a few years ago Iraq would get at least 4four condemning resolutions a year! What happened to the old days of tough benchmarks where targets must be met by a certain day and even on a specific hour?Bring them back I say!
If President Bush has lost his benchmark advisor, then I'll fill in by proposing the following:
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 3:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home