Sunday, July 8, 2007

Zero Confidence

Looks like al Maliki is facing a no-confidence vote in the Iraqi parliament. A group of representatives called "The Iraq Project" is leading the effort, and they claim they have the votes .....


(CBS) For four years, Iraqis have been waiting in lines at gas stations in Baghdad, waiting for their lives to get better. But, as CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports, the situation has gotten worse and their government is now in crisis.

That has led senior Iraqi leaders to demand drastic change. CBS News has learned that on July 15, they plan to ask for a no-confidence vote in the Iraqi parliament as the first step to bringing down the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Even those closest to the Iraqi prime minister, from his own party, admit the political situation is desperate.

"I feel there is no strategy, so the people become hopeless," said Faliy al Fayadh, an MP from the Dawa Party. "You can live without petrol, without electricity, but you can't live without hope."

Iraq's prime minister is facing his most serious challenge yet. The no-confidence vote will be requested by the largest block of Sunni politicians, who are part of a broad political alliance called the Iraq Project. What they want is a new government run by ministers who are appointed for their expertise, not their party loyalty.
If he loses, will he step down? What will the U.S. do given that they still, at least publically, support him? And just who is the "Iraq Project" and are they more amenable to negotiating with Sunni's insurgents?

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