Not entirely sure that Michael is off on break now, although it seems likely. If he headed home, hopefully he’ll have a chance to take in the final State of Origin match tonight in Sydney, it promises to be extremely intense! (Queensland won the series in 2006 and 2007.) Go Maroons!
Picked this up from the CNN ticker:
July 1st, 2008
Contractors in Iraq lose immunity
Posted: 02:06 PM ET
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Private contractors working in Iraq will no longer receive immunity from prosecution in that nation under a deal being brokered by Iraqi and U.S. officials, said Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
He told CNN that he briefed Iraq parliament members about the new agreement Tuesday during a closed-door meeting. Officials at the U.S. State Department, which is leading the U.S. side of the negotiations, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The immunity issue was one of the sticking points in the ongoing talks over a long-term security agreement. Negotiations are continuing on other issues.
Not sure who is holding down the fort in Baghdad — Arwa is apparently back in Indonesia and Morgan Neill has left; looks like Jill Dougherty may be the only one there.
Also, maxie sent this along: “Book Drive for Iraq”
Just want to give a shout out to Mohammed Tawfeeq. He always seems to be there holding down the cnn fort from Baghdad. How can he take a break? Mohammed if you ever want to be resettled outside of Iraq, you should be the first one 0n the resettlement list.
Interesting…Looks like the U.S. is conceding the private contractor issue in order to get what they really want out of the agreement.
mwmcfan, you caught me being hideously ignorant. Of course Mohammed and all the other incredible Iraqi journos are more than capable of handling everything. Most developments now haven’t even been getting camera time anyway.
maxie, I still can’t imagine us handing over a US citizen to Iraqi courts for a trial, can you? Especially not when those contractors outnumber our military in the country… and they are better armed and equipped, too. This just has the makings of a huge, ugly, nasty International Incident written all over it. Bush avoided having any contractors charged only because of the immunity — but he is leaving that as a ticking timebomb for the next president.
BTW, if anyone isn’t sufficiently pissed at the current administration, or is but would like to see someone else actually say what so many of us are thinking, I highly recommend Vincent Bugliosi’s new book:
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
I know Cyn…The Iraqis cannot stand the contractors and I am sure the contractors would have huge reservations about operating there…My thinking is the that Bush Administration wants something else a lot more and is willing to give up the immunity for the contractors…This news also comes after a recent incident in which a U.S. raid, left one of Maliki’s relatives dead…Hmmm
I can’t stomach anything more on Bush!! I just got finished reading Sey Hersh’s article and it has left me feeling completely disgusted and hopeless.
Well, the book isn’t about Bush. Bugliosi is probably the best prosecutor this country has ever seen — and he’s never lost a capital murder case. He outlines the case for charging Bush, the evidence, everything.
Since the case can not be legally filed in this country while Bush is still in office, he’d require his successor to grant him a presidential pardon. Which means he needs a McCain win no matter what. And in his case, “no matter what” has certainly worked in the past…
If McCain wins, I will go live with my relatives in Europe.
I suspect the second act of a President McCain may well have to be to seal the borders lest the US population drops by about half…
As far as State of the Origin, if Mick’s not playing or covering it, I have no interest.
If it’s wrong or makes no sense, we can all count on the current administration to do it.
Maxie, thanks for the info about the book drive.
I wish I could see more rugby matches. I felt like I was just getting a grasp on the whole thing during the RWC. I belong to a file-sharing group that posts Aussie matches, but I have yet to be able to successfully download any of them.
I just hope our happy hooker gets to enjoy himself!
I had trouble understanding the game. I couldn’t watch the play …. I confess …. I could only watch the players. Rugby players have the most gorgeous physiques – rugby players and gymnasts. I mean, wow.
Oh, BTW, from the AP regarding Hezbollah’s involvement in Iraq:
“Lebanese said to have led training camps; Iran seen as waging proxy war”
Really? Do you think? Where have I heard the whole “proxy war” scenario before?
And, not to contradict our beloved warden, but …. maybe we should re-think our reference to Michael as the “happy hooker” in light of the recent tabloid coverage. LOL You know how things get quoted out of context!
Trust me, jodi, I used the term with malice aforethought… Let the ignorant jackasses try to twist that — the more foolish they look, the less power their words have. (And the rest if the world is fluent in rugby, even if we Yanks aren’t.)
Oh, and allow me to get all philanthropic for a moment…
Cyn, maybe I’ve changed my mind! I may have a vague interest in the State of Origin.
Mmmhmm. I thought you might.. LOL
Score is tied 10-10 at the moment, BTW.
Yaaay! Maroons win!
Cyn, MW must have read your post. He appeared in the AM studio this morning to discuss the removal of immunity for private contractors and its implications. He basically said there is really little the US could do on this issue, because legally Iraq is a sovereign state. Obviously this will have huge implications for the contractors who operate there. MW also touched upon the no bid, short-term oil contracts and future long-term contracts.
I forgot to mention that today, the LA Times fronts a story about how the US is using satellites to spy on the Iraqi Army. Not a big surprise, especially after the Basra incident, but shows once again the level of confidence the U.S. military has in the Iraqi Army.
yummy cyn-
you can get philanthropic anytime you want
Wait, MW is in NY? I wonder if my boss will let me leave early the day before I go on vacation