U.S.-Led Forces Would Back Martial Law, Bush Says

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/28/international/europe/28CND-NATO.html

U.S.-Led Forces Would Back Martial Law, Bush Says
By SUSAN SACHS Published: June 28, 2004


ISTANBUL, June 28 — President Bush said today that coalition forces in Iraq would support a possible decision by the new Iraqi leadership to declare martial law to deal with escalating violence and terror attacks.

"Iraqis know what we know, that the best way to defend yourself is to go on the offensive," he said, speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain.<snip>

Iraq's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi, and other Iraqi leaders have said they are considering stringent measures, including the imposition of martial law, to establish a modicum of order in Iraq and gain credibility with the Iraqi public, whose main complaint during the 14-month occupation has been a lack of security.<snip>

(Bush).. went on to praise Mr. Allawi and the interim Iraqi president, Ghazi al Yawar, as strong leaders who had shown that they were ready for independence.<snip>

[unblock]

1. martial law -- let freedom reign!

[Kinkistyle]

14. Let Freedom Rain... down bombs on your head!

What a monumental joke this handover of "Sovereignty" is. As if now that they have an handpicked Iraqi president, American soldiers are going to stop dying and terrorism is going to stop occurring. What kind of wierd fantasy-world do these people live in?

[Emboldened Chimp]

2. Practice run for the ol' USofA?

[T Bone]

17. Could be a practice run for here

but wouldn't he have to bring the troops home first?

[Liberal Veteran]

3. Did someone change the definition of "freedom" while I wasn't looking?

Jeez....

[Liberal Veteran]

4. Hey dumbass! If they were ready for independence, then....

...martial law wouldn't be necessary.

Nor would our troops still need to be in Iraq.

[Aidoneus]

5. Good idea, because nothing says "freedom"...

quite like some guy in a flack jacket telling you to kiss your face to the fucking tank and spread those legs wide!

[Career Prole]

6. Here comes the handover of "collateral damage"!

Children will still die, but bush* will pin the tail on his donkey Allawi...
"Iraqis know what we know, that the best way to defend yourself is to go on the offensive," he said, speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain.

[MisterP]

7. Bush has a very strange idea of democracy,

which encompasses the military coup of Pakistan...

[xxqqqzme]

8. declaring martial law

is an offensive action? I fail 2 understand that.

[FlemingsGhost]

9. I'm offended.

I'm sure the people of Iraq feel the same.

[number6]

10. Its been under Martial Law since "we" Invaded

and the handover is a farce ....

[LiberalFighter]

16. Exactly!!!

There isn't much of a difference between military occupation and martial law.

[denverbill]

11. Three cheers for military dictatorship!! Hip-hip.....

Geez, when are these ingrates going to finally start throwing flowers at us instead of grenades.

We closed down Saddam's rape rooms and opened our own, kinder, gentler rape and humiliation rooms, where only a few people were killed. We kicked Saddam out of his palaces and took them for ourselves. And we got rid of a dictator and replaced him with a new dictator.

What the hell else do these people want from us? How many more of them will we have to kill before they finally start to love us?

[Wright Patman]

12. Football analogy

Imagine you are on defense. If the best way to play defense is to go on the offensive, as * says, you would never wait for the team on offense to snap the ball, thus destroying the basic structure of the game by ignoring the most basic of rules.

This is exactly what the * administration has done with international law. It has ignored the rules. And it has destroyed the framework of the post-WW II international order.

[AndyTiedye]

13. There or Here?

That was my first question.

[Eloriel]

15. And the other shoe drops

Is that an offer, Mr. Bush, or a demand?

They get increasingly transparent, don't they?