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Wednesday, February 23, 2005

AP Spin-Span-Spun Award

I have a nomination for the "Most Contradictory Headline" category of the Spin-Span-Spun awards this month. AP's headline:
Chalabi Becomes Political Winner in Iraq
AP's article discusses the negotiating over the prime minister's office in Iraq:
But ultimately the United Iraqi Alliance, led by cleric Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, dropped the vote and insisted that Chalabi withdraw in favor of interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

"The withdrawal of Chalabi came as a result of pressure by Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, after al-Jaafari threatened to withdraw from the slate in case he didn't win (the ballot)," said Ali Faisal, political coordinator for the Shiite Political Council, an umbrella group for 38 Shiite political parties.
and:
"Unity is more important than winning," Chalabi said, repeating with a smile: "Unity is more important than winning."
Admirable sentiments indeed.

Comments:
A traditional Norfolk koan may assist:


Contact

She looks into a mirror.
A female wolf looks back.
Several hundred miles away in the Arctic circle,
A female wolf looks into a mirror.
A female human being looks back.
It must be a software error,
Or a case of identity theft.
Or, just possibly, the animal people are making contact at last.


More may be encountered:
http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/2004/11/traditional-norfolk-koans.html
 
Unity is more important than winning? I don't get this whole unity thing. Or better, I'm not sure they get democracy. It happened in the PA elections too -- where they try to get other candidates to drop out so the "preferred" candidate can look like everyone is united behind them. They don't seem to get the whole "majority" wins concept. It doesn't have to be all the votes...just a majority.
 
It's also convenient to someone without winning chances to value something higher. Chalabi's presence on the Shi'a list is, in my opinion, pure opportunism. I've said it before, but the man is a thug and a crook. Not to the level of, say, Sadr, but no man I'd want in a position of power.
 
Chalabi seems like a skilled opportunist to me. Not that I'm saying he's not a thug and a crook - you know better than I do.

I think some of the "unity" bit is cultural, stemming from the first century after Muhammed's death and the scrapping over leadership.
 
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