As reactionary as Trump and his administration are, there is nothing progressive or democratic about the mobilization of the intelligence and police agencies of the state against him. The campaign against Trump being spearheaded by the Democratic Party, based on concocted claims of Russian “meddling” and “fake news,” is aimed at whipping up a war hysteria against Russia and justifying Internet censorship. The escalating political warfare in Washington is a struggle between opposed factions of the same corporate-financial elite, largely over US imperialist foreign policy issues.
Trump cannot fire Mueller directly, but he can order Rosenstein to do so and fire Rosenstein if he refuses. The latest stage of the conflict sets up the possibility of a repetition of Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre,” when the two top officials of the Justice Department resigned rather than fire special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. Nixon prevailed on the third-ranking official, Solicitor General Robert Bork, to do the dirty work.
Democratic Party leaders, who have made the Russia investigation the sole axis of their opposition to Trump, responded to Trump’s comments with a further public defense of Special Counsel Mueller. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Monday night denouncing Trump’s “disparagement of special counsel Mueller’s investigation” as “a grave reminder of his utter contempt for the rule of law.” She reiterated the unsupported claim that “the Russians perpetrated a strategic attack on the 2016 elections to support the Trump campaign.”
Most Democrats and some Republicans have suggested that if Trump fired Mueller, it would trigger impeachment proceedings by the House of Representatives.
I think Mueller should be fired. I think he's out of control and is a runaway prosecutor. I also think this is a deliberate trap being set for Donald Trump. I think the office has been intentionally disrespected.
I am aware some could accuse Donald of disrespecting it. I don't see him as smart. If I did, I'd agree. But there are people who know better who are being disrespectful of the office.
Senator Tammy Duckworth is pure trash as far as I'm concerned. Her remarks about him have been disrespectful not only of him but also of the office. She's a pretender anyway. A centrist, War Hawk who tries to act like she's anything but. She is the nightmare the Democratic Party settled on and, far too often, they settle on these nightmares instead of people who will fight for what We The People need.
Donald Trump? He's not been as bad as I expected but my expectations were admittedly low. The people who know better? I am grossly disappointed in them. They have crossed every line in the book and, those of us with any wisdom at all already know, when one party does that, the other party does it next. It's a sick cycle.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
ALSUMARIA reports that Ammar al-Hakim met with US Ambassador to Iraq Doug Silliman today (see photos above). Ammar al-Hakim leads the National Alliance (Shi'ite group). Ammar called for a move away from sectarian differences to a cohesive unity. This meet up follows an earlier one with the British Ambassador.
The British Ambassador in Iran # (Nicholas Hapton) and t in Iraq # (Janaten Felix) have met Nuri # Al-Maliki ,Hadi # Al-Amiri and Ammar # Al-Hakim.
- UK ambassadors to Iran and Iraq meet with Iraqi political leaders Nouri al-Maliki, Ammar al-Hakim and Hadi al-Ameri (of the Iran-backed Badr Organisation).
Meet ups are important right now. It's the lead up to the May 12th elections and being able to point to a meeting with some foreign official might -- a candidate hopes -- leave an impression on Iraqi voters.
If you have no meet up with a foreign official?
Do like Osama al-Nujaifi.
نائب رئيس الجمهورية يلتقي بالدكتور صالح المطلك رئيس ائتلاف العربية
زار السيد أسامة عبد العزيز النجيفي نائب رئيس الجمهورية رئيس تحالف القرار العراقي مساء الأثنين 9 نيسان 2018 الدكتور صالح المطلك رئيس ائتلاف... osama-alnujaifi.net/index.php/news…
Iraq's Vice President Tweets about meeting up with Saleh al-Mutlaq. Though both are Sunni, al-Mutlaq's remains a questionable figure with Sunnis. In fact, he's campaigning more carefully -- locations are selected with great care -- due the fact that his more prominent appearances in recent years were accompanied by booing and jeering and, in one case, thrown rocks and bottles. It's surprising Saleh could get a high profile meet-up like that even though both men are Sunnis. Osama is the most powerful Sunni official in Iraq as a vice president. He previously served as Speaker of Parliament. His brother is Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former Governor of Nineveh Province. Earlier this year, KURDISTAN 24 reported:
An Iraqi court sentenced in
absentia the former Governor of Nineveh Province, Atheel al-Nujaifi, to
three years of imprisonment and banned him from traveling abroad as well
as seized his assets.
Iraqi judicial authorities issued
an arrest warrant against Nujaifi, the brother of the current
Vice-President of Iraq, Osama al-Nujaifi, on charges of “communicating”
and “collaborating” with Turkey.
The Iraqi Parliament in May 2015
removed Nujaifi from his post as the Governor of Nineveh following the
fall of Mosul and the province into the hands of the Islamic State (IS)
in mid-2014.
Nujaifi leads the Nineveh Guard,
which consists of volunteers who previously served as officers and
soldiers in the Iraqi army and who were later trained by Turkish troops
in a camp on the outskirts of Mosul to fight the jihadist group.
Whether the move was warranted or not is up to debate -- as is anything with regards to 'legality' in Iraq.
How much of a joke is the rule of law in Iraq? Even Raghad Hussein mocks it today. As reported by ALSUMARIA, the daughter of Saddam Hussein, notes that "there is a flagrant violation of laws in Iraq." Raghad resides in Jordan where she is under the protection of the royal family there. Iraq continues to insist that she is part of the insurgency -- an assertion that she denies -- and they have put her on their most wanted list. ALSUMARIA quotes Raghad declaring the day will come where she will sue various people/entities. One wonders if that would include the US government? Would Raghad have legal standing -- in world courts or US courts -- as the daughter of Iraq's former leader to sue the US over a war built on lies?
As DEUTSCHE WELLE noted this week in a piece entitled "The Iraq War: in the beginning was the lie:"
On April 9, 2003, US soldiers toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Fifteen years later we know that this war cost hundreds of thousands of lives, plunged the Middle East into chaos — and was based on lies.
Returning to Osama al-Nujaifi for a moment more, KURDISTAN 24 reports:
Iraqi Vice-President Osama
al-Nujaifi warned on Monday towards adopting the precept of “majority
rule” as a substitute for the system of power-sharing in place because
the fall of the previous regime in 2003.
“Majority rule,” many Iraq
politicians say, is a thinly-veiled euphemism for “Shia rule,” as Iraq
is likely one of the few nations with a Shia Muslim majority.
Nujaifi, a former Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and distinguished Sunni politician, shares the view not too long ago voiced by
Kurdish officers that widespread acceptance of the idea would profit
one get together or sect on the expense of others in Iraq’s multi-ethnic
and multi-religious society.
Iraq remains a failed state and if a candidate admitted that publicly, they might get a strong reception from voters.
Instead, they focus on photo ops. One photo op many candidates would like would be one with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani; however, the Shi'ite cleric does not participate in personal political campaigns. He does use his authority to make general calls and he's made one call already this month.
This is important. The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani says the reputation of # Iraq 's Hashd should not be exploited for political goals. A message to Iran-backed factions ahead of the upcoming May elections . pic.twitter.com/KvGM9PBqMG
Najaf's religious authority warns against the use of # PMF 's reputation and popularity among people for electoral purposes. This comes after the repeated attempts of some politicians to use # PMF resources in their election campaigns and their claims that they represent the # PMF . pic.twitter.com/K8dXT2ixVs
The prime minister of Iraq is scrambling for anything to use to prove he's worthy of holding the post for four more years. So, even though the profile was far from flattering, Hayder al-Abadi thinks the TIME magazine coverage was impressive enough -- being covered by TIME -- to make it his pinned Tweet for a month now.
Pinned Tweet
مجلة التايم الامريكية الشهيرة تضع صورة السيد رئيس مجلس الوزراء الدكتور حيدر العبادي على غلافها الرئيس وتصفه بالرجل الذي انقذ البلاد من حافة الهاوية، وانه قائد حقيقي وليس نسجاً من القصص الخيالية، وصاحب بلاغة كلامية.
Click here to read Vivanne Walt's TIME article. Possibly a little more media savy, Iraq's Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi uses his Twitter feed to promote a media appearance that will take place later today.
سيكون السيد أسامة عبد العزيز النجيفي نائب رئيس الجمهورية رئيس تحالف القرار العراقي ضيف قناة بغداد الفضائية الساعة 8,00 مساء اليوم الثلاثاء 2018/4/10
osama-alnujaifi.net/index.php/news… osama-alnujaifi.net/index.php/news…
Any nit-wit can Tweet, as Anne Marie Slaughter makes clear. The War Hawk is offensive all on her own but check out this Tweet.
. @ nirrosen : no more appetite for Sunni-Shia war in Iraq. "Iraq is the only democracy in the Middle East." ISIS presence no longer threatening to the Iraqi order; 3000 Sunni candidates in the elections. Saudis have accepted the new Iraq. @ NewAmerica # Futureofwar
I'm sorry, does anyone take Nir Rosen seriously? He imploded, or have we forgotten. He made homophobic comments about Anderson Cooper and made jokes about the assault on Lara Logan. That's just for starters. Why in the world is piece of scum Anne Marie quoting him? Yes, she is scum but it's also true that she tries to pretend she's a feminist.
If she's quoting him correctly, he's even more insane than he was during his meltdown. Iraq is not a democracy. Rosen was speaking yesterday at Arizona State University proving some people will host anyone. (He was part of a war conference.)
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The following community sites -- plus BLACK AGENDA REPORT and PACIFICA EVENING NEWS -- updated:
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Educating ourselves
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