Saddam's Political Party Makes a Comeback

[beetbox]

Saddam’s political party makes a comeback
By Neil MacDonald in Muqdadiya, Iraq
Published: August 24 2005 17:54 | Last updated: August 24 2005 17:54

Saddam Hussein’s political party is staging a comeback, and US military commanders are debating how far to accommodate it in Iraq’s coming constitutional referendum.

While less tied than before to the ousted dictator, the Ba’athist movement has become an important channel for Sunni Arab political expression, say US officers, helping to promote voting in the October 15 referendum.

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In Diyala, an ethnically mixed province north-east of Baghdad, unashamed Ba’athists have stepped out of the shadows since national elections in January.“It’s an organisation that has been developing in the last six months, if not longer,” said Colonel Steven Salazar, commander of the US brigade covering Diyala.

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Lower level US officers, who deal directly with local Ba’athist suspects, said the party would need to be legalised, “in some form or other” to bring about peace.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/a2da7e06-14bd-11da-9df1-00000e2511c8.html

[Javaman]

1. Umm, now come on, who's in charge here?

"Saddam Hussein’s political party is staging a comeback, and US military commanders are debating how far to accommodate it in Iraq’s coming constitutional referendum."

That is easily translated to the US gov't is turning the screws again on the Iraqi "gov't" to cut the crap and stamp out the B'athists.

They don't even hide it anymore.

colossal failure*

[Maple]

2. This would be funny

if it weren't so sad.

[merwin]

3. In a "democracy", why would a political party have to be LEGALISED?

[AlamoDemoc]

4. We have created a monster in Iraq

A decade from now the historians will look back to this war and declare "we went to Iraq and won nothing"

[Maple]

5. They'll say more than that

unfortunately.