Summer vacation!
July 30th, 2007 |Iraq’s parliament adjourned Monday for an August recess without receiving from the government a series of U.S.-backed draft laws designed to enhance national unity.
Our soldiers and fighting and dying and the parliament goes on holiday.
Why are we still over there?
14 Responses to “Summer vacation!”
Because we need the surge to run through September to buy time for the Iraqi parliament to… ummm…. go to the beach.
Q: They’re taking the entire month of August off, before the September deadline?
MR. SNOW: It looks like they may, yes. Just like the U.S. Congress is.
Q: Have you tried to talk them out of that?
MR. SNOW: You know, it’s 130 degrees in Baghdad in August, I’ll pass on your recommendation.
Q: Well, Tony, Tony, I’m sorry, that’s — you know — I mean, there are a lot of things that happen by September and it’s 130 degrees for the U.S. military also on the ground –
Our own legislative branch doesn’t have much of a better work ethic, Smithers…. cursory inspection of your local representative’s attendance record would indicate that 80% attendance during a session would rank as “exceptional”.
Our own legislative branch doesn’t have much of a better work ethic, Smithers….
That’s a stupid comparison. If our country were literally blowing up around us, I reckon they might pick up the pace a bit.
Is it? Really?
The crime rate within sight of our own capital building is amongst the highest in the country. Would/should we expect the Iraqi parliament to don bulletproof vests and start personally fighting the insurgency any more than we’d expect our own nationally elected politicians to start fighting crime in DC?
I’m not excusing the Iraqi parliament from getting their job done, just saying that we ought to inspect our own situation before being overly critical of others.
maybe we should just start talking about how the withdrawal will happen rather than if it should happen.
I say we should start the withdrawal from the smaller cities. This will keep our presence in Baghdad to protect the central government and the Americans that will be leaving from the Green Zone.
The crime rate within sight of our own capital building is amongst the highest in the country.
OK, I’ll admit I felt a little bad after hitting ’submit’ on that last comment. But this really is stupid. Our politicians can do things that affect the crime rate, but they do not fight crime.
Iraqi parliament, on the other hand, is allegedly trying to form a functioning government that will lead to security under a blossoming democracy - whereby our soldiers can come home. I’d rank that as somewhat higher priority than passage of the latest farm bill, but that’s just me.
Would/should we expect the Iraqi parliament to don bulletproof vests and start personally fighting the insurgency any more than we’d expect our own nationally elected politicians to start fighting crime in DC?
No, but the Iraqi parliament should be expected to continue to attempt to hammer out a political solution to their problems while US troops work like hell to give them the security to do so.
The failure to achieve this political solution to power sharing results in continued sectarian violence.
Crime in DC is certainly a problem, but I don’t think it would be solved if our elected officials spent more time at the Capitol Building.
maybe we should just start talking about how the withdrawal will happen rather than if it should happen.
Just task the military with the job of withdrawal. I have every confidence that they can get the job done in a timely, efficient and safe manner.
jkruse,
your implication is that our society would continue to function without the legislative branch, which is the point I am taking you to task on, not necessarily their impact on crime directly on the DC area.
your implication, as I’m understanding it, is that our society is somehow on a “higher level” and that similar behavior amongst United States legislators is excusable, whereas the Iraqi parliamentary adjournment is not.
Even locally, right here in good ol’ Minnesota - out legislature often adjourns without resolution on critical bills - ones that govern the funding of our own state government, for pete’s sake! And as a direct result, state offices get shut down and employees get sent home because they can’t be paid for their time. State services end until the public raises enough of a ruckus to get our lazy legislators back into session to figure things out!
Yeah, the Iraqi Parliament needs to take control of governing their country. Their police and armed forces also need to start stepping up and supplanting foreign soldiers. As Americans, with our boys dying over there, we have vested interest in that. But to imply that our government is somehow superior (and that theirs is inherently inferior) is a complete crock.
They’re both dysfunctional.
If we don’t fight for their right to take a vacation in Iraq, they might come and vacation here!!!
PS: Did I just see a comparison between Baghdad and Washington, D.C.? Breathtaking.
our society is somehow on a “higher level”
I don’t think we’re genetically superior, if that’s where you’re trying to push my comment.
However, when I walk out of my office in a few minutes I have a very good expectation of making it home without being blown up by a car bomb. When I get home and flip the switch, I’m fairly certain the lights will come on. And I can leave my house after dark without being killed by a sniper or rounded up by a rival militia.
We’ve had episodes of significant bloodshed and violence in our history that led to this era of relative calm (at least for those who are not serving in the armed forces.) I’m guessing our government didn’t take many month long vacations during these episodes. In fact, even though there was no war at the time, the constitutional convention was held in the sweltering heat of Philadelphia from May to September. (And they even kept the windows closed to make sure there were no leaks.)
The white house continues to kick the can down the road, delaying even any discussion of iraq policy because in September we’re all going to hear how awesome everything is working out there and democracy is on the march. Meanwhile, iraq’s politicians who are allegedly crafting this democracy aren’t even going to meet between now and then. That’s the f**king crock.
Which DC are we talking about, 80s or now?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fluIxhjzm3I&mode=re lated&search=
You guys are all fucked up because I just received a letter from my buddy in Iraq and except for no beer and no porn he said he was having a delightful time in his job as a medic.
except for no beer and no porn
What does he do all day?
except for no beer and no porn
What does he do all day?
I’m sure he blogs.