Transfer of military control completed in Iraq

Iraqis celebrate the withdrawal of American troops from the country's cities and towns in Baghdad on Tuesday. (Joseph Sywenkyj for The New York Times)

Transfer of control of all Iraqi cities and towns from U.S. forces to Iraq's government and security forces has been completed, marking an "important milestone that we've reached in Iraq," President Obama said Tuesday.

Obama, who made the announcement at the White House during a ceremony to honor entrepreneurs committed to social justice, noted U.S. forces had met a June 30 deadline to complete their withdrawal from urban areas and hand over full control to Iraqi security forces, warning of "difficult days" ahead.

“Now make no mistake. There will be difficult days ahead. We know that violence in Iraq will continue. We see that already in the senseless bombing in Kirkuk earlier today,’’ he said referring to the car bomb that killed some 30 people and wound 65 others in Iraq Tuesday.

Iraq's Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders will have to make some hard choices to resolve disputes that have hindered political reconciliation, he said.

“This is an important step forward, as a sovereign and united Iraq continues to take control of its own destiny. And with this progress comes responsibility. Iraq’s future is in the hands of its own people and Iraqi leaders must now make some hard choices necessary to resolve key political questions, to advance opportunity, and to provide security for their towns and their cities,’’ he said, promising the U.S. would be ‘’a strong partner for the Iraqi people.’’

The President praised U.S. troops and said he's confident that those who test Iraqi security forces and the resolve of the Iraqi people through more sectarian bombings will fail.

There's more work to be done to support a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, he said. "And everyone who has served there, both in uniform as well as our civilians, deserves our thanks."

Obama has made ending the six-year Iraq "war" a top foreign policy priority, with plans to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.

The country has been almost torn apart by sectarian attacks (countless bombs) that have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

The Iraqi government celebrated the final withdrawal of American troops its cities Tuesday with parades, fireworks and a national holiday, marking a political milestone to trumpet what the prime minister called sovereignty from foreign occupation.

“The Iraqi people are rightly treating this day as cause for celebration,’’ Obama said.

Better late than never...still...

What percentage of the Iraqi population either favored or opposed the presence of U.S. forces in that county still is--and probably will always be--up for debate. But we know that many suffered throughout this six-year occupation, and their troubles are hardly over.

In the meantime, people in this country--Americans--are suffering at the hands of a broken economy--losing their homes, jobs, savings, healthcare insurance, even their hope.

Contributing (greatly, in my opinion) to the current state of affairs is a pseudo war launched by former President George W. Bush et al whose price tag has reached $683 billion--yes, billion. Add another $191 billion spent in Afghanistan, and you have some $874 billion, nearly a trillion dollars my friends, spent as of today.

According to the Brooking Institution's Iraq Index, the U.S. has spent $12 billion per day on the so-called this fake war--that's $5,000 per second. A significant portion of the money--billions of dollars--is unaccounted for as per multiple news reports and Congressional hearings.

Bush and his fan club--a brilliant group of good old boys from Ivy League schools--thought draining our economy with an unnecessary so-called "War on Terror" against a country that did terrorize the U.S. on 9/11 would be a good idea, as it would make W look "presidential" and boost his chances at re-election. Sigh.

There were no weapons of mass destruction, and (as far as we know) Osama Bin Laden along with his al-Qaeda posse are still plotting our destruction under the stars somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan.

As of today, U.S. troop casualties add up to 4,318, with another 31,368 wounded, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries and not counting psychological injuries.

The price we have paid for this pseudo war, or occupation, is high--in U.S. dollars, resources, time wasted, and lives abruptly ended or forever shattered (literally).

I'm no political pundit, war correspondent or White House reporter. My thinking can be--and probably is to a certain degree, just like everybody else's--flawed in some way due to a lack of information, education and/or an excess of ignorance. Whatever. No one knows everything.

Yet, I still gotta call it as I see it because that's what I do. And Iraq was a BIG mistake, if you ask me.

Sources: AP, Reuters, New York Times, Me
Copyright © 2009

Ahmadinejad tells Obama to butt out

Iran President Ahmadinejad makes the Peace sign in this undated photo of unknown source. Maybe he's ordering two Tacos...

Iranian president Ahmadinejad is telling President Obama not to interfere in Iran, claiming Obama is repeating what "Bush used to say" about Iran and calling on Obama to "express regret" about U.S. Interference, Reuters reported early Thursday quoting the Fars News Agency.

Are you freakin' kidding me?

This was to be expected, though, and it's exactly what Obama was trying to avoid (among other things), which critics didn't quite get, if you ask me.

I think Ahmadinejad is being a dick. Sorry, my friends, but you should know by know that I have little, if any, tolerance for liars and bullies, not to mention deluded narcissistic pricks.

That sick fuck is asking Obama to express regret for something Obama hasn't done (at least not as far as we know), while he himself expresses NO regret about his people being killed and their blood spilled in his backyard after almost two weeks of ongoing violence and unrest ("traffic violations" according to him) in protest of the June 12 presidential elections that he allegedly won. WTF?

I'm telling ya'...Ahmadinejad won't show his face on the streets of Iran anytime soon, as many no doubt would love to take a shot at--or an ax to--him.

Sources: BNO, Reuters, Me
Copyright © 2009

Obama's Islamic homage wins praise

Wearing masks to conceal their identities, Palestinian militants from the Popular Resistance Committee watched Obama's televised speech at a training base in Gaza City. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)

I resist politics, but it would be irresponsible to go through today without even mentioning Obama's much-awaited speech in Cairo earlier today.

It has been praised and criticized any which way possible, as any other important political speech. But I like the following story because it's optimistic. And after the eight loooong years after W and the consequences we're now facing thanks to his words and actions, I have little patience for negativity.

Here's what one AP story out of Dubai reported about the speech.

The tone of respect was set from the opening lines of President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim world, AP reported Thursday.

"Assalamu Aleikum"--Arabic for "peace be upon you"--he said, triggering applause from the crowd at Cairo University and bringing nods of approval in places like a coffee shop in the West Bank town of Ramallah, where some began calling him "Abu Hussein"--using his Muslim middle name--as a sign of honor, according to the report.

Obama's ambitious speech, which sought to define a new relationship between Washington and the Islamic world, also represented an opportunity to shape his own image in the eyes of Muslims, AP reported. He quoted from the Quran, paid homage to the cultural and intellectual achievements of Muslims, and noted his middle name and his father's ties to the faith.

"As the Holy Quran tells us, 'Be conscious of God and speak always the truth'," he said. "That is what I will try to do today, to speak the truth as best I can."

Whether political stagecraft or sincerity, his gestures resonated strongly among many Muslims who often complain their traditions and culture are devalued in the West and have become overshadowed by Islamic radicals, AP reported.

"He came across as sincere and credible," said Sheik Muhammad al-Nujaimi, a member of a committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that tries to moderate the radical views of jailed militants. He said he plans to give a copy of Obama's address to the inmates with a message: "Muslims should offer help to the new American administration and reciprocate its overtures."

Obama also sprinkled his address with Arabic words that are well-known to all Muslims: "hijab" for the Islamic coverings for women, "zakat" for alms giving, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Even these few references carry powerful significance in the Arab world, where the language is cherished as an important ethnic bond, revered for its connection to the Prophet Muhammad, and filled with elaborate greetings and finely crafted formalities that display respect.

Obama's closing line--"And may God's peace be upon you"--rings with authenticity and cultural sensitivity to Arabic ears. (Photo: President Obama/Reuters)

There were obvious comparisons to Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, whose use of language, such as calling for a "crusade" against terrorists after the Sept. 11 attacks, a term that brought to mind the Christian Crusades against Islam in the Holy Land, helped stir anti-American anger (to put it lightly, if you ask me) in the Muslim world, AP reported.

Obama "was fair on basics, soft on tone," said Labib Kamhawi, a political analyst in Amman, Jordan. "He avoided using provocative terms of the previous administration like 'war on terrorism.'"

Even some extremist Web sites, which have carried statements from al-Qaida and other groups in the past, added some rare hints of praise amid the scorn for Obama.

One posting on a chat room noted admiration for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "wearing a head scarf ... and she and Obama taking off their shoes" during a visit to a Cairo mosque. The contributor also praised Obama's quotation of verses from the Quran, "while many of our leaders don't memorize these verses."

In response, another writer said Obama "is manipulating the emotions of the people the same as a lute player does. ... He is undoubtedly a wise enemy compared with George Bush, the enemy known for his stupidity."

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a 27-year-old computer engineer, Yasmine Bennami, said of the president's address: "It's the first time ever that I see an American president quoting verses from the Quran."

In Saudi Arabia, home of Islam's holiest sites, Rabah al-Mutawa said Obama, by quoting from the Quran, "touched people." "I challenge any Arab leader to go to the U.S. or the West and quote the Bible like Obama quoted the Quran," she said at her home in Riyadh.

When Obama opened with his Arabic greeting, Mahmoud Ramahi smiled.

"This is good," said Ramahi, a lawmaker with the anti-Israel militant group Hamas in the West Bank. "This is the first good signal. We'll start counting."

I'm no political pundit by any conceivable means, but if you ask me Obama rocks. He rocks because he's graceful and wise with words. He rocks because he makes an effort to show respect for other countries and cultures. He rocks because he brings issues down to a level of sensibility from up where reason no longer matters. And though the eight years with W were, in my opinion, the most disastrous in this country's recent history, perhaps had it not been for his monumental mistakes, we wouldn't have Obama today. Extreme change requires extreme measures, if you ask me.

If you ask Rush Limbaugh, the Right's self-proclaimed champion, the speech was "outrageous, absurd, and embarrassing." Now, who could've seen that coming?

Rush has problem: he has a extremely narrow, one-track mind capable of perceiving, processing and conceiving ideas and events from a single point of view--his. And that's exactly the opposite of what Obama does when he makes an effort to understand and address issues from various points of view.

Sources: The Associated Press, CNN, Reuters, Me
Copyright © 2009

Would "W" do this?

I'm not into "cute" but I'm loving this picture. Below is the caption that was published with the photo.

President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office May 8, 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Copyright © 2009