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Bush To Iraq In Shambles You Create

Juan Cole 06/14/2006

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Bush to an Iraq in Shambles:
You Create Your Own National Fund
Or, “Let them Eat Cake”

An informed observer writes:

‘ THURMONT, Md., June 12 — President Bush proposed today that Iraq create a national fund to use its oil revenues for national projects, as part of a strategy to build loyalty to the new government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. ‘

Just what they need, now.

Is this to be sprung on the two Cabinets by video-conference tomorrow? Is this to test the quickness of response of the new Prime Minister?

It would have to be established by the Council of Representatives, which meets once a week or so, and has not yet even adopted, as far as I know, its own rules of procedure, and if it were to be complete, would also require amendments to the Constitution. The members of the Council of Representatives seldom meet because they must do so in a convention center designed for traveling salesmen and must pass through eight check-points to get there where they have no office space in which to work, and, therefore, must do whatever work they do at home or elsewhere to which they must go by armed convoy.

We won’t give you any more money, but here is an idea as to what you should do in anticipation of winning the war we started, but cannot win, you must, with whatever equipment we are about to decide you may have, but, mind you, air power is out, you must rely upon ours, you cannot be trusted yet.

Let’s invade Iraq and see what happens, trusting that we can figure it out as we go along. Garner and the State Plan are out, he seems to be going native or something, who do we have, how about that fellow who is a terrorism expert? Talabani, Barzani, and al-Hakim, you guys are not representative, bring in some others and get representative, but elections are out.

Hey, how about caucuses, they work in Iowa; how about a trust fund, doesn’t Alaska have one? Let’s give ‘em a constitution for six months so that they can see what one looks like, even although they have one, and had another before that.

Foreign policy by stream of consciousness and throw-away lines.

What next? ‘

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About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

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