Update 28: Al-Jaafari Ally New Nominee for Iraq PM

Forbes & AP ^ | Friday, April 21, 2006 | QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

[jmc1969]

al-Maliki is a far more hard line then Jaafari and he was head of the de-Baathification commission. Unless they agreed to something with the Sunnis and Kurds under the table that we don't know about I can't see how he would be acceptable to them.

If there was no under the table deal I have a feeling we may see an attempted parlimentary coup tomorrow. With them voting down Maliki and quickly nominating someone like Madhi. Remember the Sunnis, Allawi, and Kurds have 53% of the vote.

[Marine_Uncle]

"...With them voting down Maliki and quickly nominating someone like Madhi. Remember the Sunnis, Allawi, and Kurds have 53% of the vote."
Thanks for the feedback. I can follow your path of reasoning.

[bnelson44]

Is he pro-Sistani or pro-Sadr?

[Waverunner]

Just a good ole boy of Shiite politics.

known as 'Bull' Malaki to his friends

[Marine_Uncle]

"Is he pro-Sistani or pro-Sadr?"
Well if he is Jaafari's right hand man out of the Dawa party, he is supported by Sadr. Sistani probably is groaning inside as he watches things develope. He is long on the record as opposing a sectarian based government. His record is clear, clerics should stay out of politics, and in short has verbally communicated his preference is a secular ran government.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Groan....guess we'll see what develops next....

When does the Parliament meet ?

[CdMGuy]

Not Polish - he is a Shriner from the Al Malicki Shrine. I saw him on TV last week at a parade riding around on one of those tiny motorcycles.

[EternalVigilance]

During the regime of Saddam Hussein, he lived in exile in Syria, where he headed the Dawa party office.

Cozy with the Syrian B'aathists?

[Wiz]

ping

[bnelson44]

Saturday

[Marine_Uncle]

"When does the Parliament meet ?"
I believe based on what we are reading today. They may meet Saturday or Sunday. Literallly days away at most, if nothing further puts a big happens to divert them once again. Perhaps jmc1969/Allegra will elucidate further.

[bnelson44]

This sounds promising:

Maliki, a leader in the Dawa party who spent years living in Shia-dominated Iran during Saddam Hussein’s rule, had previously been seen as an unlikely candidate for prime minister because he was widely viewed as a sectarian politician.

“When we heard Maliki was nominated we held discussions and decided we welcome him and we have informed the (Shia) Alliance,” Iyad Al Samarraie, a leading official in the Iraqi Accordance Front, the main Sunni bloc, told Reuters.

“We know he has made tough statements in the past but we have sat down with him for long periods of time and we feel he has a strong intention to treat the problems facing Iraq.”

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2006/April/focusoniraq_April130.xml&section=focusoniraq

[jmc1969]

It meets tomorrow.

[Captain Kirk]

Democracy in action? The Shi'ites had made their choice and we high-pressured them to reverse course because we thought it was the "wrong choice." How is that democracy?

[floridaobserver]

You have your facts wrong. The Shiites selected them, but did not have necessary 2/3 approval from the Iraqi Parliament.

This guy doesn't seem much better than the previous pro-Iranian guy.

Amazing how poorly Allawi and Chalabi (the pro-Western secular parties) did in the elections.

The country is effectively being run by the Ayatollah Sistani.

[Marine_Uncle]

Saturday. Roger that.

[jmc1969]

The IEC was controlled by the UIA. Basically, the election was rigged in much of southern Iraq.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Democracy in action?"
Yes. It is democracy in action. Please remember. Jaafari won the PM post by one vote. It has been shown where the Dawa party helped by a lot of different Shia groups rigged the votes in his favor over a much better candidate, the SCIRI parties Mahdi. Who is for secular goverance. It as that close.
And many Sunni and Kurds would had gone along with Mahdi being the PM.
Now. You are folling this stuff, so surely you also know that the big scream that Jaafari should resign earlier on, came from Iraqi of all flavors. He has did little to give the defense minister and interior minister more lee way in going after all factions of the insurgency as well as putting the foot down on the shia based militas.
So as the US saw the Iraqi people screaming for Jaafari to go, Condi/Straw/Khalilad stepped in to say something had to be done to ease the strained relations between many of the large and diverse parties.
Jaafari has shown he is not the right guy for the job, and a large segment of the Iraqi have made it known they wanted him out.
But we must take note. They are by selecting an alternative candidate which can meet the approval of the majority across party lines, showing they are flexible enough to adjust in order to finally form a real permenent government. So there are at least two ways of looking at what is happening.
Notice the Dawa party is still getting to provide the PM post. I assume you are aware the SCIRI is larger and equally sectarian (Shia) in many ways. So at least attempt to think through the scenarios. I am not against your position, just wonder if you are following things as close as some.

[conservative blonde]

The MSM just wants to keep Iraq from forming a government because the longer the wait the worse they can paint Bush and talk about all the "mistakes" that were made. If indeed this man is acceptable it means the MSM will have lost a strong talking point against Bush.

[strategofr]

"Amazing how poorly Allawi and Chalabi (the pro-Western secular parties) did in the elections."

A freeper (sorry, can't remember who) who seemed extremely knowledgeable said that the U. S. considered supporting a Allawi financially in the elections---but decided against it to avoid the appearance of creating a puppet government etc. Meanwhile, the Iranians heavily supported his opponents, and he lost badly.

Personally, I believe Allawi is a great patriot, a brave man, and a smart man. Unfortunately, it looks like his time has passed.

"The country is effectively being run by the Ayatollah Sistani."

If not the Iranians themselves.