Perino Inaccurately Cites Iraq National Flag Law As Sign Of Political Progress
Perino Inaccurately Cites Iraq National Flag Law As Sign Of Political Progress
Last Tuesday, the Iraqi parliament passed a law temporarily changing the Iraqi national flag to eliminate the flag’s three stars — which are thought to represent Saddam Hussein’s Baath party — and change the calligraphy of the words “Allahu Akbar” or “God is Great.”
During an interview with CNN this morning, previewing President Bush’s State of the Union speech, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said that the passage of the new law is a sign of political “progress” because the Iraqi parliament was “able to come together and get it done.”
Watch it:
In reality, the legislation was rushed through the Iraqi parliament in order to appease the Kurds — whose leaders banned the Hussein-era flag — ahead of a pan-Arab conference set to be held in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Only a “slim minority” of Iraq’s parliament actually voted in favor of the law.
Additionally, top Sunni and Shiite officials in Iraq are critical of the law. In the mostly Sunni Anbar province, officials are refusing to even raise the new national flag. As McClatchy reported on Jan. 25:
“The new flag is done for a foreign agenda and we won’t raise it,” said Ali Hatem al Suleiman, a leading member of the U.S.-backed Anbar Awakening Council, “If they want to force us to raise it, we will leave the yard for them to fight al Qaida.” [...]
Suleiman of the Anbar Awakening Council, however, said he was angry that the parliament and government toiled away on a new flag rather than dealing with the country’s lack of services.
“We don’t want to handle the problem of the Kurdistan region by causing problems with other regions that might refuse the new flag,” said Nassar al Rubaie, the head of radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al Sadr’s bloc in parliament, who voted against the new flag.
Additionally, although the parliament speaker said the new flag would be raised immediately, when the legislative body met last Wednesday, “the old flag was still behind the speaker and his two deputies.”
UPDATE: Digby has more.
Transcript:
KING: The president is also going to be talking about Iraq tonight Dana. He’ll be talking, I guess, about the so-called “surge,” progress that’s been made in terms of security and safety there, but there still has been little political progress. What’s the president’s message to Nouri al-Maliki and people who are in charge there in Iraq going to be tonight.
PERINO: The president will spend a significant amount of time in his speech tonight talking about Iraq. And remember where were a year ago. Iraq was something that even the president said if polled he would say he would not approve. But over the year, implementing the surge strategy, we’ve been able to significantly reduce sectarian violence. Deaths — civilian deaths are way down, our military deaths are way down. And the president is going to say we have to capitalize on those gains we cannot run the risk backsliding.
And on the political side of things John there actually has been some progress made the Iraqi front. Certainly, they had the de-Baathification law that’s right in front of them right now. They are sharing money with the provinces. The federal government is sending money to the provinces much like we do here in America. And so they’re — and actually, that vote the other day on the flag, General Petraeus said that that was something that we might see as minor but was a very contentious issue and they were able to come together and get it done.
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Why aren’t they working on the very important porta potty problem?
January 28th, 2008 at 5:16 pmOh, Dana
January 28th, 2008 at 5:21 pmthe bar is so low, the Bush Admin credits the retooling of a flag as a success.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:23 pmDana Perino: America’s (other) tiny dancer of deception.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:26 pmAh, the new Iraqi flag.
Gee, I thought we instituted a new flag back in the Bremer days. It was such a romantic thought . . . imagining LaLa sitting by a hearth in the White House, zonked out on Zoloft and martinis, stitching her new design.
Whatever happened to that hare-brained idea?
Well, now that they’ve settled on a new flag, I hope they will move on to the other pressing needs of the country . . . you know, things like the national flower, the national bird and, of course, the porta-potty problem.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:28 pmRemember when we first saw Dana subbing for Tony Snow? And remember how we wondered how long it would take for her to completely lose her soul?
It’s happened. She no longer has any identity of her own. She just mindlessly parrots the Bushline no matter how stupid it sounds. AND she can do it with a straight face.
Of course, there’s another possibility. She might just truly be an idiot.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:29 pmYeah, and they were able to come together and have lunch without killing each other, so I guess that is also a sign of progress in their government.
Buck Fush
January 28th, 2008 at 5:30 pmRemember when the CPA under pastry chef L. Paul Bremer created a new flag that looked rather similar to the Israeli flag?
That didn’t go over too well either.
Apparently the US invaded Iraq to help them make fashion decisions about their flag.
-GSD
January 28th, 2008 at 5:38 pmThis just in and totally off topic:
The motion for Cloture FAILED!!! debate remains open on the FISA bill, Mitch Doughboy McConnell Failed!!! Thanks to everyone that made this an issue and called on the Senate today!
January 28th, 2008 at 5:41 pmOh, and Perino is a Diphit! ;)
January 28th, 2008 at 5:42 pmHere is the decision L. Paul Bremer made while traipsing around Iraq in his suit coat and work boots and in between baking French pastries.
The much maligned joint Iraq/Israeli flag.
-G
January 28th, 2008 at 5:42 pm“like a record baby, right round round round…”
January 28th, 2008 at 5:44 pmYeah…a lot of wavering democrats came home to the party. Them phone calls must have had their effect.
As far as the flag issue…the kurds Refused to fly the iraqi flag. That about sums up the state of the political reconcilliation. Kirkuk is a potential powderkeg…and no flag will fix the problem.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:48 pmGood news on debate remainig open on FISA.
As far as that flag goes:
“BAGHDAD – The Iraqi parliament’s move to adopt a new, temporary national flag has provoked an outcry, with one city refusing to fly it and ordinary Iraqis attaching the old flag to their cars in a silent protest.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22884433/
January 28th, 2008 at 5:50 pmI liked the old flag Bush tried to impose on the Iraqis. A beautiful mix of flags of Ukraine, Sweden and Israel + a big crescent to make nice with all those muslims
January 28th, 2008 at 5:54 pmThe government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has for the moment lost the support of the Sunni Arabs in parliament. The Sunnis in his cabinet have resigned. Even some Shiite parties have abandoned the government. Sunni Arabs, who are aware that under his government Sunnis have largely been ethnically cleansed from Baghdad, see al-Maliki as a sectarian politician uninterested in the welfare of Sunnis.
http://www.juancole.com/2007/12/top-ten-myths-about-iraq-2007.html
A more recent sign of so-called “progress†is the recent deal to bring Baathists back into the sphere of governance. This, proponents of the Bush strategy say, shows political progress being made.4 Yet, the real powerbrokers with the ability to stabilize Iraq are not bureaucratic Baathists in Baghdad, they are Shia clerics in Najaf and emergic Sunni Sheiks in al-Anbar, who have no interest in the central government. Until they are convinced to join the fold, no claims of progress can be made.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:59 pmhttp://votevets.org/pages/?id=0004
Fiddling while Rom—er, Baghdad burns, eh?
January 28th, 2008 at 6:08 pmPoor Dana, how much did that soul of hers cost anyway?
-GSD
January 28th, 2008 at 6:09 pm…but that’s NOT political theater. k, dana. whatever.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:29 pmThe flag is not a major issue..
It cannot be enforced ,because the government itself does not control the country…
So every part of the country will decide which flag to use, in fact in the Kurdustan area nobody uses the Iraqi flag anyway,because the Kurds made their own flag long time ago even before the war of 2003.
So much of a progress…
January 28th, 2008 at 6:33 pmPoor Dana, how much did that soul of hers cost anyway?
She never had much of a soul to begin with, so I’m betting it sold very cheaply.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:34 pmBubba Bubblehead’s Bubbleheaded-bleach-blonde bungler outdoes herself today. Get this moron out of the public eye. She and Dumbo make such a moronic and embarrassing duo that no one wants to see either of them. As for as the SOTU, who cares what this bubblehead has to say? I’d rather be watching a movie myself.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:39 pmVerbalKint: You’re so right. This juvenile hasn’t the first clue that she’s being used and that she’s being asked to lie. She erroneously believes that it’s a woman’s place to be used and abused by her bosses and lie for them. One has to wonder what her mother did for a living??? hmmmm….
January 28th, 2008 at 6:40 pmSlept her way to the top?? Probably because she definitely wasn’t selected for her intellect, that’s becoming clear.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pmhmmmm, I wonder what it costs to have 3 feet cut off her nose, and wear fireproof pants…?
January 28th, 2008 at 6:44 pmYou know who Dana Perino reminds me of? Kelly Bundy.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pmI guess that I would be worried should the best example of solving thorny political and ethnic problems is the ability of the government to pass a temporary law for a temporary flag. Should we not expect a lot more progress than this in five years. After all, this is a country that was at least united in its dislike of Saddam H.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pmWill they have to fold it up into some sort of wierd shape? How about making some lame little pins and then arguing about whether or not enough lapels have the silly little pins. Better yet can we get the Chinese to mass produce some lame ass magnetic ribbons for these people?
January 28th, 2008 at 7:16 pmTP,
This bimbo’s easy pickin’s…low hanging fruit…please don’t waste my time with post about this bimbo anymore….please…
How about some impeachment stuff!! She’ll go down with the top!!!
January 28th, 2008 at 7:41 pmComment by dixie blood — January 28, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
TP,
This bimbo’s easy pickin’s…low hanging fruit…please don’t waste my time with post about this bimbo anymore….please…
Well, the problem is with the interpretation and the emphasis of the topic. The topic is worthy of discussion as it lays bare the total failure of BushCo to get anything postitve accomplished and their desperation in dealing with it. This magnifies the total political failure that is happening. Yet BushCo set reconciliation as one of their stated goals leading to the passage of laws suiting BushCo (like oil).
TP should be emphasizing this, instead of going “tabloid” about the stereotypical “blond bimbo.” and her incompetent utterances.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:07 pmHOW ‘BOUT WE CHEER THE LAST SOTU SPEECH FROM THIS LOOSER PHUCK-WAD PRESIDENT!!
January 28th, 2008 at 8:08 pmTP should be emphasizing this, instead of going “tabloid†about the stereotypical “blond bimbo.†and her incompetent utterances.
Comment by Merlin — January 28, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
Exactly!!! Thank you.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:11 pmAmazing — this is the first I’ve read about the CPA proposal for a new flag and I checked out the links and info posted regarding it. Un-freaking-believable.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:32 pm“TP should be emphasizing this, instead of going “tabloid†about the stereotypical “blond bimbo.†and her incompetent utterances.
Comment by Merlin — January 28, 2008 @ 8:07 pm”
How is highlighting her stupidity and vapidity “tabloid”?
January 28th, 2008 at 11:06 pmOkay, I’m more than a bit confused. The Iraqi flag had 3 stars on it from 1963, and the Baathists didn’t come to power until 1968, a full 5 years after the 3-star flag first appeared on the international scene. (Just because the Baathists adopted a three-word slogan really isn’t sufficient reason to drop the stars which originally were supposed to represent Egypt, Syria and Iraq as a “United Arab Republic” which only existed on paper–the constituent parts weren’t as willing to yield total authority to a central government.)
January 29th, 2008 at 4:37 amAlso, it seems a bit odd that the strong religious presence in the Iraqi Parliament would want to drop the takbir (the Allahu akbar script) from the flag even though Saddam’s the one who placed it there. (Reputedly, the script itself was modeled after Saddam’s own handwriting, so, on that basis, I could reasonably understand replacing it with a different script form, perhaps resembling the Saudi flag’s shahada.