Bush suffers ratings tumble (36%) as Sunnis reject Iraq charter

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article308765.ece

President George Bush's exit strategy from Iraq suffered a severe setback yesterday when Sunni negotiators rejected a new constitution, increasing the chances of outright civil war.

After a series of delays and missed deadlines, the negotiating committee delivered the completed draft constitution to the Iraqi parliament, but the assembly failed to vote on the text after the 15 Sunni members - a minority of the committee - rejected the draft because of continuing disagreement on federalism.

Mr Bush and Tony Blair, in separate statements, urged Iraqis to unite behind the project despite the disagreements. But the prospect of more violence will only make it more difficult for the Americans to withdraw from Iraq.

Mr Bush's approval ratings have sunk to 36 per cent - the lowest level of his presidency. As the number of US troops killed there has risen to 1,900, domestic opposition to the war is on the rise. Mr Bush acknowledged the strength of the opposition from Iraq's Sunni community, which is spearheading the insurgency, when he spoke to reporters at his Texas ranch.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I am waiting for 13%!!!!!!!!!!

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Lets do a "reverse auction" shall we?

I'll bid 8%

[leftchick]

13. there is still that 25% freeper/bushbot base

they will go down with their beloved chimperor**.

:rofl:

[NYC]

16. Who are they?

His wife and dog? (the 13%)

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Which poll is that? nt.

[Bumblebee]

It must be still be the American Research Group from last week

[Crunchy Frog]

4. Well, I hope the people who voted for him are happy with themselves now.

I really don't have much sympathy for people with buyers remorse, especially since they already had 4 years to sample the merchandise before deciding to re-purchase.

[wanpete]

10. Amen crunchy frog!

I see lots of sheepish looks on the faces of the proud W04 folks. They know they helped to ruin this great country by re-electing the WPE. (worst.president.ever)

[malaise]

5. Remember I'm partying at 29%

Wait until they hear that oil is trading at $70.

[rodeodance]

7. Mr Blair, who is on holiday in Barbados,

.....Mr Blair, who is on holiday in Barbados, insisted that the completion of negotiations for a draft constitution was "an important and historic achievement". But the Prime Minister also acknowledged that the Sunni opposition presented serious difficulties for the path ahead. He said: "It is vital each of those communities participate fully in the democratic political process, including the referendum in October and elections in December."

Mr Blair also suffered a setback with the publication of a leaked memo which contradicted his claim that there was no link between the July 7 suicide attacks in London and the Iraq conflict. It emerged that Sir Michael Jay, the Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office, wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Andrew Turnbull, on 18 May last year warning that foreign policy in Iraq and the Middle East was "a key driver" for extremist recruitment.

[malaise]

14. I posted an article with a picture

of him in sunny Barbados last Monday (from the Barbados Nation). He's now checking out real estate I hear.

[NYC]

18. $70.80

Crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) surged as high as $70.80 a barrel, up $4.67 a barrel, as traders feared lasting damage could further strain an industry that has struggled to keep up with demand for two years.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2005-08-28T231240Z_01_SP16752_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-ENERGY-CRUDE-DC.XML

[bpilgrim]

24. "If it wasn't sunday, i would be buying shares of Oil Futures" - WWL

Director of Homeland Security, in NO, just said on WWL :wow:

peace

[NYC]

25. The Director of Homeland Security said that?

?????

[bpilgrim]

26. for New Orleans

yep, can you believe that :puke:

peace

[54anickel]

6. I read a post earlier where's he's been getting pretty testy lately -

cussin' folks out that disagree with him and using Cheneyisms quite often these days. Gotta hope that slips out into the MSM one of these days. :evilgrin:

[Jackpine Radical]

19. The Capitol Hill Blue story

[VegasWolf]

8. How could this happen?? Bush is God's disciple here on earth. I've

seen Bush down on his hands and knees, praying, telling us that
God has told him there would be no casulties, that it would be a
quick war, that Christanity would finally rule the Mid East as it was supposed to.

[marmar]

9. It's like watching a train wreck...

Unfortunately, we're passengers on this one!

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[indepat]

11. What can one say when 36% approve of what has come down holistically

[NYC Liberal]

12. The people are waking up...too bad this wasn't BEFORE the election!

[callous taoboy]

15. Brit press doesn't beat around the bush, do they- no pun intended-

Was there anything in the U.S. press like "suffered a severe setback"? I e-mailed this to a freeper colleague of mine (actually, "freeper" is too harsh a label for this guy, but he has drunk the kool-aide none-the-less). His response was something like, "Oh, thanks for the foreign press to keep me up to speed on my country."

[Javaman]

17. I'm waiting for 34 opposite of 43 :)

:bounce:

Even better: 86 43 at 34!!!

[BenDavid]

20. Well, you can bet

yo sweet ass that he will be all over the tv come Monday and Tuesday and well hell, all week.... He has got to show that compassion (fake) for those folks.... He should keep his ass out of La. and Ms.Let the people there help the people there and not have to do any extra by having his ass there to take a look and for a photo op.... His old daddy tried that in 92 and people knew exactly why his sorry ass was down in Flordia. Now folks will know why Bushit is down on the cost. BAD POLL NUMBERS>>>>>>>

[reprobate]

28. Wait till the folks in La need the national guard, but they're in Iraq!

La and Ms will go blue suddenly.

[leQ]

21. link isn't working (eom)

[NNN0LHI]

27. It just now worked for me? n/t

[Richard Steele]

22. Smooth move, ExLax!

[bpilgrim]

23. ...as for the Sunnis, "It's hard to identify anything they got" (re: Iraq)

Knight Ridder

Shiites may benefit from a proposal that gives the biggest say in most matters to the numerical majority.

"The constitution places fairly weak checks on the majority," Brown said....

Islam will have a strong role in Iraqi government. It's the official religion of the state and no law can be passed that contradicts the "undisputed laws" of Islam, according to the constitution. And the Supreme Federal Court, which is given the job of interpreting the constitution, will include Islamic law experts.

"It there are losers, it's secularists, particularly secular and religious minorities," such as the Sunnis, Morrow said.

...

Revenue from oil fields developed in the future will be controlled by regions, said Jonathan Morrow, an adviser to the drafting committee from the United States Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan conflict-resolution group. Regional control helps Kurds in the oil-rich northern part of the country. Shiites who dominate southern Iraq have considerable oil too, but not Sunnis who are in the middle.

_The draft sets a 2007 deadline for settlement of the fate of Kirkuk, the oil-rich northern city that Sunnis, Kurds and Turkmen each claim.

"My guess is they'll get Kirkuk that way," Morrow said, meaning the Kurds.

source...
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/world/12500977.htm

i know they got 'NO-ONE' to blame but themselves (according to conventional wisdom (M$MWs) but we surely realize that ain't gonna work, cept for the divide and conquer strategy.

how many dem leaders will go along with this strat?

at what point will china, india & russia get more heavily involved... after Iran?

shouldn't we be working to ensure human rights in international law and getting future world powers to sign on, instead of stripping then from proposals (BOLTON) and threating the world with our military and 'diplomatic' aggression?

can we get our leaders to get behind this and actually speak OUT and stand UP for it?

or is it way past time for that kinda optimism :shrug:

BTW: here is an interesting article that sparked this question posted by one of DU's old-timers, Jack Rabbit...

Stagger on, weary Titan

The US is reeling, like imperial Britain after the Boer war - but don't gloat

Timothy Garton Ash in Stanford
Thursday August 25, 2005
The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1555819,00.html

peace

[Arkana]

29. 36%? Not enough. I want about a third of that.

Then I'll say it's a Diebold-proof majority.