The Iraq News

A Plea to Iowa Voters, al-Sadr Seeks Reconciliation, Suicide Bombings on the Rise, More

Iowa, Iowa, Iowa.

Even I am totally psyched that tonight we officially begin the long task of voting in Chimpy McFlightsuit's successor. The hysteria has reached such a fever pitch, that over the last few months it has completely eclipsed media coverage of Iraq.

The violence is not over. The gains made by the escalation are attributable to temporary, unsustainable conditions and in fact, the trends in violence, such as suicide bombings, are up.

Here's some Iraq News:

• 3,905 gone.
• McClatcthy Newspapers blog Inside Iraq issues the following plea to voters in Iowa: "On the occasion of starting the first stage of American Election (Iowa caucus), and in the name of Iraqi people I would like to adjure the American people to think of Iraqi people and remember all the mistakes that happened in Iraq before directing toward the election boxes. Please choose who has the ability to correct these mistakes." [More]
• Sometime this month or next month, the ticking clock on Muqtada al-Sadr's promise of a cease fire will expire and the ridiculous mirage of success being projected at the American people by the media could very well go with it if al-Sadr doesn't see what he considers political progress (h/t Russ). On Saturday, al-Sadr called for reconciliation between his followers and Iraqi security forces in the holy city of Karbala, which is an auspicious development. NPR reports on al-Sadr's break from the fighting--he's been studying to become an ayatollah.
• In the most recent of a string of attacks, yesterday, in Baqubah, the capital of Diyala province, a suicide bomber jumped onto a car driven by Iraqi security forces and detonated himself.
• The Iraq government may release 5,000 prisoners, but not terrorists... oh, or homosexuals. Some democracy we're building over there. Apparently it's not going so well for the Christians either.
  
• Iraqi deaths were up 26% in 2007.
  
• When the President pocket vetoed the Defense Authorization Bill (despite Senate being in session) he took a fair bit of change out of the troops pockets. The Iraqi government thanks him though.

Sadly, there's much more news where that came from. It never ends.

TAGS: Iraq OCCUPATION, Muqtada al-Sadr, George W. Bush