Iraq Parliament backs bill to demand troop withdrawal

[Fear_Itself]

Iraq Bill Demands U.S. Troop Withdraw

A majority of Iraqi lawmakers have endorsed a bill calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops and demanding a freeze on the number of foreign troops already in the country, lawmakers said Thursday.

The legislation was being debated even as U.S. lawmakers were locked in a dispute with the White House over their call to start reducing the size of the U.S. force here in the coming months.

The Iraqi bill, drafted by a parliamentary bloc loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, was signed by 144 members of the 275-member house, according to Nassar al-Rubaie, the leader of the Sadrist bloc.

If the Iraqi parliament votes to ask American troops to withdraw, should we honor it and withdraw as soon as is possible? Or can Bush continue the occupation against the wishes of a sovereign nation?

[David_Simmons]

@Fear Itself

Iraq Bill Demands U.S. Troop WithdrawIf the Iraqi parliament votes to ask American troops to withdraw, should we honor it and withdraw as soon as is possible? Or can Bush continue the occupation against the wishes of a sovereign nation?

He has said that if the Iraq government asks us to leave we will leave. And, of course, he is a man of honor and will stand by his word.

[RickJay]

How is this government supposed to work, though? Is a Parliamentary resolution passed by majority vote instantly law, or does it need to be signed by the executive branch?

[marshmallow]

@Fear Itself

If the Iraqi parliament votes to ask American troops to withdraw, should we honor it and withdraw as soon as is possible?

No. We should’ve left a long time ago for a laundry list of other reasons that have been gone over again and again. This, by itself, is a decent reason and can supplement the fact that a supermajority of the Iraqi population wants us out. I don’t see why the basic justification of ignoring the Iraqi people won’t work for the Iraqi government. It’ll just require another hoop or two.

That, or no hoops will be needed. It may not even enter the realm of knowledge if the MSM plays their role correctly.

Or can Bush continue the occupation against the wishes of a sovereign nation?

Can he? Of course. IIRC the majority of the Iraqi population turned against the occupation circa spring of 2004. So that’s about three years he’s been doing it.

The Iraqi government can’t stop it. The Iraqi people, despite their efforts so far, can’t stop it (although it’s only a matter of time on that front). The U.S. Congress has no interest in stopping it. The American population doesn’t seem particularly interested in it – they seem to express about as much outrage as over the latest white girl is missing story.

[elucidator]

@David Simmons

He has said that if the Iraq government asks us to leave we will leave. And, of course, he is a man of honor and will stand by his word.

Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

[Robot_Arm]

@Fear Itself

If the Iraqi parliament votes to ask American troops to withdraw, should we honor it and withdraw as soon as is possible?

And give in to the extremists?

[elucidator]

We would happily surrender to the moderates, but they’re all dead.

[Martin_Hyde]

@Fear Itself

Iraq Bill Demands U.S. Troop WithdrawIf the Iraqi parliament votes to ask American troops to withdraw, should we honor it and withdraw as soon as is possible? Or can Bush continue the occupation against the wishes of a sovereign nation?

Yes, we should honor the request. There comes a time when a state has a right to commit suicide if they are that insistent about it.

[Squink]

@RickJay

How is this government supposed to work, though? Is a Parliamentary resolution passed by majority vote instantly law, or does it need to be signed by the executive branch?

Wikipedia appears to have the full text of the constitution, here The word ‘veto’ does not appear within it. However:

The text of the proposed constitution was read to the National Assembly on Sunday 28 August 2005. It describes the state as a “democratic, federal, representative republic” (art. 1) (however, the division of powers is to be deferred until the first parliament convenes), and a “multiethnic, multi-religious and multi-sect country” (art. 3).

I don’t think they’ve gotten around to clarifying that yet.

[tomndebb]

@elucidator

Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

A note? Or a bar?

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

More like a leitmotif.

[elucidator]

Is that the one where the fat lady wears armor and screams?

[Der_Trihs]

@Martin Hyde

Yes, we should honor the request. There comes a time when a state has a right to commit suicide if they are that insistent about it.

There has to be a state for that to happen; Iraq was destroyed as a state by us years ago. I expect their motivation is not to “commit suicide” as a state, but to build one. They can’t possibly build a new Iraq as long as we are there.