MSNBC LBN: Iraq lawmakers delay vote on constitution; no date set.

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9005694/

Official: No constitution draft on Thursday

No date set for a new session as parties fail to reach an agreement

BREAKING NEWS

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi National Assembly will not meet Thursday to decide on the draft constitution and no date for a new session has been set, a parliamentary spokesman said.

The comments by Bishro Ibrahim, head of the assembly’s media department, signaled that no agreement had been reached among the different factions on the issues such as federalism, which prevented a vote on the document during two previous deadlines.

Parliament speaker Hajim al-Hassani had deferred a vote on the document Monday and said three days of consultations would be held to try to win over Sunni Arab negotiators.

The announcement appeared to undercut U.S. efforts to secure an end to the monthslong dispute over the new constitution.

edit: added more details

[buff2]

1. Another disaster in the making

What a mess.

[katty]

23. How utterly PREDICTABLE - bush's response: Freedom on the March

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Will they have to dissolve the parliamnt

Or are they gonna try to get out of it with the ridiculous contention that "a draft exists."

[zanne]

14. You read my mind, alcibiades

In the week before the first deadline, the talking heads on CNN kept saying how important it was to meet this deadline, because the parliament would have to be "dissolved" otherwise. Now they're not talking about anything "dissolving".

[NNN0LHI]

3. I got a dollar says Bush sends Viceroy Paul Bremer back to Iraq n/t

[malaise]

4. The Iraqi people are not

that stupid - they know who wants this constitution and why!

[Teaser]

5. No, many Iraqis will want this constitution

But that isn't a good thing...

It is a great deal for religious Shi'ah and the Kurds. It blows for the secularists and the Sunni (secular or fundamentalist). That's the problem: it divides Iraq along sectarian lines.

[AngryOldDem]

7. And that means...

...the stage is set for civil war, with the U.S. smack in the middle.

Democracy in action. Gotta love it.

[cliss]

38. My crystal ball told me the same thing, Malaise.

I've read that the Bush administration is under intense pressure to get this thing wrapped up and "They lived Happily Ever After" kind of thing.

It's just a facade, just a gimmick to appease the American TV-watching public which is getting uneasy.

"The Natives are Getting Restless" is what the nervous analysts conclude. They know that paper-thin, Hologram type crap is better than nothing, so they will push hard for some kind of substantive "proof" things are actually improving over there.

Just garbage, as usual.

[0007]

6. At this point in time it doesn't make any difference..

Cuz junior sez
Mission Accomplished
1. Halliburton & Cheney have made a bundle - and will for a long time
2. The Carlyle boys have increased profits 800% - and will for a long time
3. The Oil Companies can't count money fast enough to hide it - and will for a long time.

[malaise]

39. They will make a bundle more

if they ever get that constitution - sovereignty my ass.

[NYC]

40. Change those "S"es in Mission Accomplished

to dollar signs. More suitable.

[Javaman]

8. Sooooprise, soooooprise, soooooprise!!

Wow, so the US puppet gov'ts attempt at marginalizing a whole section of the population actually pissed the Sunni's off, wow, who would have thunk it?

Damn these guys are swift.

colossal failure*.

[brooklynite]

9. Iraq Lawmakers Won't Meet on Constitution

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Parliament announced it had no plans to meet Thursday night and no date for a future session, signaling Iraqi factions were failing to reach agreement on a new constitution before a self-imposed midnight target.

The statement from National Assembly's top spokesman, Bishro Ibrahim, came as negotiators struggled for consensus on a draft by the close of a 72-hour extension granted Monday night by parliament, after Sunni Arabs blocked a vote on a charter accepted by Shiite and Kurdish negotiators.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050825/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[TahitiNut]

10. Send Mr. "Uniter-not-Divider" and let him stay there until ...

... he actually accomplishes something.

[Roland99]

16. No shit! *He's* the one trying to build a new democracy!

How in the hell can that be done via remote control?

[TahitiNut]

19. Yep. Let him do his biking in downtown Baghdad.

:evilgrin:

[Roland99]

21. *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

We have a winner!

[Pirate Smile]

11. This is a disaster.

[goodboy]

12. does that mean the interim govt. will be dissolved? (nt)

[whosinpower]

13. I think they must

Dissolve government and have elections all over again - and start over. That is, of course if they follow their own rules and guidelines.......

And now another question - wouldn't that mean that their old constitution is still in play?????????

[Roland99]

15. Aww...the puppets won't follow the script?

Whatcha gonna do, George? Go on another week-long Propaganda tour?

[bribri16]

17. If Clinton were in office he probably would go himself...but then if

Clinton were in office I don't think we would be in Iraq.

[gratuitous]

18. There are worse things than missing arbitrary deadlines

Although that's apparently one of the classes that Lil George skipped in b-school. Why does he remind me of the pointy-haired boss in the Dilbert comic strip?

[Sgent]

20. Dissolving

the government is what they are supposed to do... who knows if they will.

The constitution didn't seem to be to bad -- but it was so full of restatements of the same thing, contradictions, and loopholes that it also seemed to be merely useless.

The way I read it (all 12 pages), none of the federal protections applied to the individual providences, with the exception of voting for the national assembly.

In addition, like the US Constitution, their constitution is severely limited by federalism (not neccissarily a bad thing), but had non of the protections of our 14th and other ammendments which applied federal rights to the individual at all levels of government.

[Supersedeas]

22. calling Dr. Rice...calling Dr. Rice...can you hear me now???

[karlrschneider]

24. Iraq misses third constitutioin deadline 14 mins ago at Yahoo

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/World/Iraq

[Straight Shooter]

25. Deadline number 4, coming right up! eom

[daleo]

29. This time for sure!

Hey Rocky. Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.

[leftchick]

32. 3 strikes and you are OUT chimpy**!

al-sadr would have started another full blown uprising if that piece of trash had passed. I am sure the backlash will happen anyway just not tomorrow.

[Cocoa]

26. this is good news

so says the White House...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050825/pl_afp/iraquswhouse_050825192901;_ylt=AuE2VqJFLGA7I5n5E4exrPJX6GMA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

<snip>

"I think it says a lot about the weight that the Iraqis put into this document that they're taking such great care and effort to craft it, so that it is a durable document and so that it is an important document," he added.

[montanacowboy]

27. How many more times can they break

the rules? they just keep making them up as they go along - they should have been dissolved a while back.

now they are saying they will bypass Parliament and go straight to the people?

[AlamoDemoc]

28. This will be a major defeat for the Sunni secular population if

the constitution goes to general vote where the Shi'a and kurds compromise almost 70% of the Iraqi population

<Snip>

"Faced with an impasse, some lawmakers said the document may bypass parliament completely and instead be sent straight to the voters to decide in a referendum Oct. 15."

[bemildred]

30. "Faced with an impasse, we may just make shit up as we go along." nt

[charlie]

31. Maybe not

If 2/3 of any 3 provinces (out of 18) vote against the constitution in the referendum, it starts all over. Not just a new constitutional draft, but a whole new transition parliament is called for.

Sunnis have a majority in 4 provinces.

[AlamoDemoc]

33. Well if that is the case the Sunni's have a chance after all

[rocktivity]

34. It's not a term paper, for cripe's sake--what's the rush?

On the other hand, if there are no checks and balances, no equality for women, and no separation of church and state, it's not really a constitution either.

:eyes:
rocknation

[Javaman]

35. anyday now, anyday...

So let's see, can't get the constitution approved because you have pissed off 25% of your population by marginalizing them. Well, ain't that just tough shit.

I have always thought this whole constitution smoke screen was bullshit. Constitutions aren't forced, they are created out of need. If anything, they should take a page from our history and create a constitution and a bill of rights and a declaration of Independence to get us the fuck out of THEIR country.

This whole fucking mess is the equivalent of the British helping us write our own constitution. What a fucking farce.

colossal failure*.

[calimary]

37. Truly. I can't wait to hear the spin-sters and anti-peace activists

(let's start calling them that, 'eh? They're pro-war, pro-aggression, pro-invasion, pro-crusades, anti-peace - they need some reframing) try to tell us how this is good news, and a favorable turn of events in the war on terr.

[Gregorian]

36. It's THEIR country. We must get the hell out!

It's none of our business to be manufacturing their politics.

[PurityOfEssence]

41. So it's a total failure, even though we're happy with Islamic Theocracy

Oh, silly me; they're doing this for themselves.

It's a disaster. It's a colossal failure. We don't know either shit or shinola.