For those who missed it, Marc Fisher and Carol D. Leonning (WASHINGTON POST) report:
Last week, Tony Podesta, an eminence in the annals of Washington lobbying, threw one of his signature events, a big birthday bash at his stately stone manse in Kalorama. His guests thought he was on top of his world, one of the men who makes the city go.
On Monday, hours after the first indictments in the investigation into ties between President Trump's campaign and the Russian government, Podesta abruptly quit his post atop the Podesta Group, the capital's eighth-wealthiest lobbying firm.
Podesta's departure came as the indictments of former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort and his business partner, Rick Gates, raised questions about the work Podesta's firm did with Manafort to buff the image of the Ukranian government. Podesta, 74, said he was quitting because of the barrage of criticism he's been getting as special counsel Robert S. Mueller III pursues the investigation.
I agree with Shaun King:
No love lost from me.
Men like Tony Podesta aren’t helping everyday Americans or the Democratic Party.
Shady as hell.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:
Tuesday, October 31, 2017. The lessons in betrayal.
Yesterday, the US State Dept issued the following:
And Brett McGurk emerges from his hole (no idea of the man or woman's name) to Tweet:
Yesterday, the US State Dept issued the following:
Press Statement
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 30, 2017
The United States commends the decision of Masoud Barzani not to
seek an additional term as President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and
the vote of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament to distribute presidential
authorities to other Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) institutions.
President Barzani is a historic figure and courageous leader of his
people, most recently in our common fight to destroy ISIS. This decision
represents an act of statesmanship during a difficult period.
The United States now looks forward to engaging actively with the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani. A strong KRG within a unified and federal Iraq is essential to its long-term stability and to the enduring defeat of ISIS. We call on all Kurdish parties to support the KRG as it works to resolve pending issues over the remainder of its term and prepare for elections in 2018.
We call on the Government of Iraq and the KRG under its new leadership to work urgently to resolve pending issues under the Iraqi constitution. We have been encouraged by the security dialogue that has taken place in recent days, and call for an end to all confrontations and clashes.
We also continue to support the strong leadership of Prime Minister Abadi as he works to ensure the total, and enduring defeat, of ISIS and a stable Iraq after ISIS. We welcome the recent decision from Prime Minister Abadi to begin a new dialogue with the KRG, under the Iraqi constitution, and avoid further confrontations.
We will continue to work with all parties as they address these issues for the benefit of all Iraqis. It is time for all parties to look to the future and focus on peaceful resolution of disputes under the Iraqi constitution.
The United States now looks forward to engaging actively with the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani. A strong KRG within a unified and federal Iraq is essential to its long-term stability and to the enduring defeat of ISIS. We call on all Kurdish parties to support the KRG as it works to resolve pending issues over the remainder of its term and prepare for elections in 2018.
We call on the Government of Iraq and the KRG under its new leadership to work urgently to resolve pending issues under the Iraqi constitution. We have been encouraged by the security dialogue that has taken place in recent days, and call for an end to all confrontations and clashes.
We also continue to support the strong leadership of Prime Minister Abadi as he works to ensure the total, and enduring defeat, of ISIS and a stable Iraq after ISIS. We welcome the recent decision from Prime Minister Abadi to begin a new dialogue with the KRG, under the Iraqi constitution, and avoid further confrontations.
We will continue to work with all parties as they address these issues for the benefit of all Iraqis. It is time for all parties to look to the future and focus on peaceful resolution of disputes under the Iraqi constitution.
And Brett McGurk emerges from his hole (no idea of the man or woman's name) to Tweet:
The US supports a strong KRG within a unified & federal Iraq & calls on Kurdish parties to support the KRG in run-up to 2018 elections. 4/4
We also commend the historic decision by President Barzani and will engage actively with KRG PM Nechirvan Barzani & DPM Qubad Talabani. 3/4
We are encouraged by the security dialogue that has taken place in recent days and have called for an end to all confrontations. 2/4
The U.S. has been actively engaged over past week to open a new dialogue and resolve disputes peacefully under the Iraqi constitution. 1/4
The same old lies from DC.
The story of the US government and the Kurds has always been the story of betrayal.
This story was told in the Pike Report which the US Congress produced but then quickly decided not to release. It was leaked to the press and, February 16, 1976, The Village Voice published Aaron Latham's "Introduction to the Pike Papers." Latham explained:
In 1972, Dr. Henry Kissinger met with the Shah of Iran, who asked the U.S. to aid the Kurds in their rebellion against Iraq, an enemy of the Shah. Kissinger later presented the proposal to President Nixon who approved what would become a $16 million program. Then John B. Connally, the former Nixon Treasury Secretary, was dispatched to Iran to inform the Shah, one oil man to another.
The committee report charges that: "The President, Dr. Kissinger and the foreign head of state [the Shah] hoped our clients would not prevail. They preferred instead that the insurgents simply continue a level of hostilities sufficient to sap the resources of our ally's neighboring country [Iraq]. The policy was not imparted to our clients, who were encouraged to continue fighting. Even in the context of covert action, ours was a cynical enterprise."
During the Arab-Israeli war, when the Kurds might have been able to strike at a distracted Iraqi government, Kissinger, according to the report, "personally restrained the insurgents from an all-out offensive on the one occasion when such an attack might have been successful."
Then, when Iran resolved its border dispute with Iraq, the U.S. summarily dropped the Kurds. And Iraq, knowing aid would be cut off, launched a search-and-destroy campaign the day after the border agreement was signed.
A high U.S. official later explained to the Pike committee staff: "Covert action should not be confused with missionary work."
That is the root and start of a relationship where the US government repeatedly used and misled the Kurdish people and repeatedly lied and broke promises. It remains the story of the US government and the Kurds.
It's why KRG President Massoud Barzani included the US in the denouncements in his speech Sunday. The US has been a bitter disappointment to the Kurds -- again.
This has happened repeatedly.
And it is past time the Kurds realized that.
We noted Jalal Talabani, among others, made a fool of himself in 2010 when he was among those believing the US government's promises regarding The Erbil Agreement -- the agreement the US ignored after swearing that they would back it.
It should now be completely clear to the Kurds that the US government will lie to them, will make promises that will never be kept and will never stand with them.
Currently, the Kurds are under attack from Baghdad.
Callum Paton (NEWSWEEK) explains:
In the wake of a series of lightning victories over Kurdish forces in recent weeks, Iraq’s leaders plan to press their advantage and effectively dismantle Kurdish regional autonomy in the north of the country, ending decades of independence for the ethnic group in Iraq.
The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi outlined his government’s plans in an interview with The Independent Monday. He said that by taking back authority over Iraqi Kurdistan’s borders, absorbing the Kurdish security forces into the Iraqi military and reestablishing control over the regional government’s oil exports, Baghdad would take steps to curtail powers the regional government in Erbil has enjoyed for 26 years.
Ahmed Rasheed, Ercan Gurses and Raya Jalabi (REUTERS) report:
Iraqi troops deployed on Tuesday at one of the main land crossings with Turkey, gaining a foothold at the Kurdish-held frontier for the first time in decades and imposing one of Baghdad's central demands on the Kurds.
Iraq's entire land border with Turkey is located inside
the Kurdish autonomous region, and has been controlled by the Kurds
since before the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
That's what passes for 'peace' to the United States. And this is only the internal situation -- they are also facing hostility from neighbors -- including Turkey.
View all Link to headline article
#Iraqi forces not #PMU who are supposed to respect all the Iraqi people including #Kurdistan people and it’s flag. Now stepping on it. #KRG
Barzani steps down as president tomorrow November 1st.
solvemee @solvemee
They called on Israel and USA for help, but they turned them down. Now they call on God. #Kurdistan #Iraq pic.twitter.com/EHskd0WvpF
The entire international community looked away as the Baghdad-based government used US-supplied weapons on the Kurds.
France's Bernard-Henri Levy puzzles over the betrayal of the Kurds.
#USA stance on #Kurdistan and support to #Iranian militias is a huge moral forfeiture, unlike any I have ever seen
Shock re: #Trump’s shocking inconsistency: he lectures #Iran deal is the worst, yet welcomes #Soleimani in #Kirkuk
The attitude of the #USA on #Kurdistan is a terrifying mystery & one to which insufficient attention has been paid.
There's nothing to puzzle over.
This is how the US government has repeatedly treated the Kurds.
Over and over.
And Sunnis should take note because they've been lied to as well.
Some of Barzani's statements of regret regarding the US? Not that unlike Ayad al-Allawi's remarks about Barack Obama.
(Ayad al-Allawi is a Shi'ite. His remarks were regarding the US government's betrayal of Iraqiya. al-Allawi headed Iraqiya -- which won the 2010 elections and was a non-sectarian, mixed-slate coalition.)
The following community sites -- plus Jody Watley and BLACK AGENDA REPORT -- updated:
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