djtestudo

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,123961,00.html

Not much to the link, just basically says we handed power over to the new Iraqi government this morning, two days early.

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Seaver

Good ol' GW.

Everyone knew terrorists would be planning a huge sequence of attacks the day of handover to be a political bombshell.

What does he do? turn it over early and cut them off at the knees.

zfleebin

I dont talk much politics because I dont like fights but I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say that this is a smart move.
The bombs probably wont stop dropping and the terrorist attacks wont take any breaks but at least we can say that we screwed up the handover afterparty the terrorists were going to have.

BigGov

Almost everything had been handed over before today already.

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nanofever

Damn, I guess those terrorists will have to take their bombs and go home since Iraq is now in Iraqi hands. Bush is quite a clever man when it comes to dealing with terrorists.

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apeman

uh... i think some of the terrorists probably live in Iraq you know

it's a good move - i wouldn't say smart because it's not amazingly difficult to realize that the official handover day would be a terrorist bring-a-bomb party

nice one anyway

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Superbelt

Good idea to cut them off on "turn over soverignty" two days early. I kinda like it. It is a good common sense idea.

Still I agree with Sunday's Doonesbury

tecoyah

Agreed .....very intellegent move by the administration.

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assilem

Now all we have to worry about will be the Iraqi elections. That should be fun. I wonder how they will handle that. Good move though. I also wonder if the terrorists will keep their plans for an after-party anyhow.

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DelayedReaction

I wonder how long this is going to last?

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wonderwench

I'd say it is here to stay.

Ahmed's Story

As far as I know, the following story has not been picked up by the US media, and that is definitely a mistake. You will see why shortly. Out of all places, I found this amazing piece in one of the most virulently Anti-American newspapers in Paris, Le Monde, in the June 25, 2004 issue.

The French reporter tells the story of an Iraqi from Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown, who recently saved the lives of four US soldiers.

This hero wants to be called “Ahmed” because he does not want his true identity revealed. Ahmed fears that if anyone found out, his house would be hit right away by a rocket. He adds that he can only speak to the reporter because he is in a café in Baghdad, and not in Tikrit. Ahmed is very upset by the terror instilled by the insurgents. He remarks that even in mosques, imams cannot speak about non-violence -- otherwise their lives are threatened.

Ahmed then explains what happened on a Friday in June around Tikrit. He was picnicking with his sister and nephews when they saw an overturned US Humvee. They approached the vehicle and saw that four American soldiers injured, including two unconscious ones. At first, the soldiers were scared because they were quite certain that Ahmed was going to kill them. But then when they saw the whole family around, the soldiers grew less worried.

Ahmed doesn’t speak a word of English, but nevertheless remembered the word “relax ,” and tried to explain with his hands that he would take them to the hospital. But the soldiers began yelling “NO, NO,” and asked Ahmed to take them to the US base. So, Ahmed took the two unconscious soldiers in his car and drove them to the nearest American base, while his sister stayed with the other two.

Upon arrival at the base, Ahmed was arrested, because the American soldiers obviously did not understand his Arabic explanation. But a translator soon sorted out the situation and told the soldiers from the base to go with Ahmed to fetch the two injured remaining soldiers. And they did. The GIs wanted to thank Ahmed with money, but he refused categorically and told them that he did not need any reward. Ahmed wanted more than anything else that his identity be kept secret because otherwise he would be killed on the spot by the insurgents.

Ahmed’s wisdom about the situation in Iraq is incredible. He is very grateful to the US. That is what he had to say: “The Americans did not come alone and without support in Iraq. Four million Iraqis residing abroad and millions of Iraqis inside the country were totally behind them. The proof is that nobody fought to save Saddam’s regime. Today, an honest Iraqi citizen can only call for the American departure. But I believe we have to help them leave in a peaceful manner. The guerillas only sabotage. They are the biggest obstacle to the reconstruction of Iraq.”

This incredible story should be used by the Bush administration to show that Iraq is not a one-way street, as the New York Times or Washington Post reporters would want us to believe.

There are still a lot of Iraqis ready to risk their lives to save our soldiers. Even more of them are grateful for what the Coalition did and are tired of the guerillas attacking Americans and Iraqis alike. The new hospitals and schools built in the past months by the Coalition are also a huge morale-booster, but unfortunately this does not make it to our media.

Antoine Sfeir, one of the leading experts of the Arab world, who cannot, according to himself, be considered as a pro-American individual, just came back from Iraq. He affirmed that there is no quagmire and that he thinks that the US is winning the battle of Iraq. He is tired of people in the European media claiming that Iraq is the New Vietnam or Somalia. He added that Iraqis are living their lives and making do, and are especially happy to be rid of Saddam.

So, concerning Iraq, I would rather believe Antoine Sfeir -- who does not like President Bush at all -- than the New York Times.

powerclown

Pretty sneaky. But only the end of the beginning.

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powerclown

World Reactions


This is a day of great hope for Iraqis and a day that terrorist enemies hoped never to see...Their bombs and attacks have not prevented Iraqi sovereignty and they will not prevent Iraqi democracy.

US President George W Bush



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Today's obviously an important staging post on the journey of the people of Iraq towards a new future - one in which democracy replaces dictatorship, where freedom replaces oppression and in which all the people of Iraq can look forward to the possibility and the hope of an Iraq that genuinely unites, a future for people from whatever part of Iraq they come.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair



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It is an important move forward in implementing Resolution 1546 of the UN Security Council which provides for the restoration of Iraq's sovereignty. Russia was insisting on the earliest possible handover of sovereignty... The security situation in Iraq is deteriorating, and the Iraqi government's decision to conduct a quicker transfer of power is aimed at demonstrating that the country's sovereignty is being restored and at calming those who strongly insist that the occupation of Iraq be ended.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov



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We have taken note of this step, naturally. The transfer of sovereignty is an event which was expected and is significant. It is a stage in the political process which will continue until 2005... Further stages will follow, in which France wishes success to the interim government and the people of Iraq.

French presidency



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We have always made clear that we are interested in an early transition of sovereignty... Now that it has happened earlier I can only welcome it.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder



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The Spanish government does not plan any participation in the process under way in Iraq... We hope - as I have said on many occasions, in a very difficult process as the facts demonstrate every day - that sovereignty will be regained [and] that territorial integrity will be upheld.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero



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I very much welcome the bringing forward of the handover. It was a sensible thing to do, given the security position. There's no reason why it shouldn't have taken place a couple of days earlier. I congratulate the people of Iraq for the act of faith in a democratic future that is involved in this historic handover. They will need our help and our support.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard



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Even if it is partial, the transfer of authority to the Iraqis is very good. The fact that this took place ahead of schedule was also significant. Now, it should be everyone's duty to support the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government should be able to exercise sovereignty in the real sense of the word. All countries should assist in this.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul



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This is an important event in Iraq's political transitional process. We express congratulations to the Iraqi people and hope that the Iraqi interim government will unite all the Iraqi people in stabilising the security situation with the help of the international community - including the United Nations - in pushing forward Iraq's political transitional process, in achieving the goal of "Iraqis administering Iraq" as early as possible, and in making joint efforts to build an independent, peaceful and prosperous Iraq.

Chinese foreign ministry



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The South Korean government evaluates the 28 June handover of sovereignty to Iraq as very significant progress for an early normalization of the situation in Iraq and welcomes it... Our government hopes that various political schedules in Iraq will move ahead smoothly so that a legitimate sovereign government, chosen by the Iraqi people, will be established successfully.

South Korean foreign ministry



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Today, a government of Iraqis was established by Iraqi people in Iraq... Japan will continue its own reconstruction support.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi



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We welcome any move that will give sovereignty back to the majority of the Iraqi people and ends the occupation of our neighbour. We hope this is a step in this direction and will lead to a government based on the opinion of the Iraqi people.

Iranian government



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We are pleased with the transfer of power to the Iraqi people... Kuwait is ready to give Iraq any sort of help to recover its stability.

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah



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The unity of the Iraqi people at this stage is the only guarantee to prevent those who try to destabilize the security and stability of Iraq.

Jordanian King Abdallah II



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Despite all problems facing the new Iraqi leadership and the opposition by forces that want to push the Iraqi people into the chaos of lawlessness and a fratricidal domestic conflict, this historic moment is already a fact... The handover of power is just one important element of the plan for the political transition. Bulgaria will continue to help the Iraqi people in this historical transition period.

Bulgarian foreign ministry

roachboy

i dont see anything of particular interest in timing of the formal turnover.
what will be interesting is how this plays out in the longer run.
it is good that **something** about bushwar has been welcomed by the international community as a community.
but from what i have read, it seems that people in iraq see this as switching the flags and not much more.

the attempts to see this as some kind of clever act by bush make little sense to me, but there has been precious little for his fans to cheer about of late, so if they want to see in this act some cleverness, then go right ahead.

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wonderwench

Hmmm....after all the claims that the sky is falling and predictions of Doom&Gloom(tm), an early handover without incident is rather a decent accomplishment.

tecoyah

Agreed.....would that you can repeat this in a week.

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powerclown

Yes we're all waiting for Allawi to be assassinated or some-such, but it seems that for now the productive thing for Iraq would be for the UN to flood in there tomorrow and help train the police force, open the country up to foreign investment, track down the insurgents ("Iraqi style", as Allawi said), get Sistani out of bed and expressing his approval to the Iraqis, and then have a giant, orgasmic Worldwide Love-In.

The question is, is this a blow to terrorism or not? Can you imagine an Iraq in the mold of, say, Jordan? A real ally of the West, and voice of moderation in a region in desperate need of both? Well, one can dream...

Johnny Rotten

I'm not a fan of the Bush administration, but I'm glad they got this out of the way. I guess, in retrospect, doing it early was the only way it could be done with a reasonable degree of safety. This, of course, is not the end of America in Iraq, just its military occupation. Bush still has his long-term plan of multiple U.S. embassies monitoring how our gov't loans are going to be spent rebuilding the nation, for one thing, not to mention the U.S. and other foreign industries that are setting up permanent shop. And probably a military base or two. And military supervisors training the new Iraq army.

I don't pretend to judge this list of geopolitical decisions, as I've already given up trying to figure out what is going on over there and how things are going to be all right in the long run. I'm not really a praying man, but I do hope to God that the new Iraq government makes it.

A democracy in Iraq. The mind boggles. Before, Isreal was the only democratic government in the region, for which the U.S. has poured untold billions into their coffers. I wonder what Iraq's democracy will cost us.

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dy156

Yeah, I do too, and think it's a very good thing. It's great that we won't have to rely on the Saudi bases should real trouble arise in the region again, and you know it will.

On the early handover- Damn! sometimes Bush just pulls something out of his ass that makes me smile. Last song of the national 9/11 memorial service is the Battle Hymn of the Republic, secret flight to Thanksgiving dinner, this.

Jesus Pimp

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