Political Wrap - Time to talk with Iran, US Kansas City Mall Shooting and the Broken Olmert

By: John_York

In a break from the stock market wraps.

Talking to the Iranians
America after nearly 30 years is being forced into direct talks with Iran. As Condoleza Rice mentioned on Sunday whilst referring to Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki. “I will not rule out that we may encounter one another, This isn't an opportunity to talk about US-Iran issues. This is really an opportunity for all of Iraq's neighbours to talk about how to stablise Iraq”

Iran has the upper hand, but the US is unlikely to give ground, still it is a small step in the right direction given the military build up in the Gulf.

Though its not all plain sailing for the Iranian Government, there is growing dissent in the country against the hard line mullahs who repeatedly try and ram hard line fundamentalist Islam down Iranian peoples throats, who naturally want to be rid of this extremism and get on with ordinary life. But while you have similarly pseudo neo-con fascism in the Whitehouse, hell bent on making war and stealing resources, the Iranian peoples are more than likely to unite around a government, even if they secretly despise that government as the alternative, i.e. what the US has accomplished thus far in Iraq is far worse !

Kansas City Shootings, Again, and again, and ?
Four dead, including the gunmen and one police officer, why the international press coverage ? Four dead is nothing to the 600 shot dead in America every week ! With over 200 million hand guns in the hands of virtually anyone who cares to acquire one within minutes, is it still surprising ? Yes it follows on from the last psycho shooting spree of 30+ dead at Virginia Tek. But the americans never seem to learn the lessons, NEVER, there is something fundamentally uncivilized in a country that allows 600 people to be shot dead every week without lifting a finger to do something about it. Apparently 600 murders happen in Iraq every week, so GW Bush is succeeding in bringing to bare some US influence upon the Iraqi people.

Broken Olmert
The disaster of Israel effectively losing its war with Hizbollah continues to haunt Prime Minister Olmert. Leaked text from the report on the war suggests a litany of failures, including not considering military opinion, silencing dissenting voices, underestimating the strength of Hizbollah and for setting goals that could not have have not been achieved. Namely destroying Hizbollah and release of the two Israeli soldiers held captive by Hizbollah.

The war cost 160 israeli lives (mostly soldiers) and more than 1200 Lebanese lives (mostly civilians), with widespread destruction of Lebanese infrastructure.

UK Election
Meanwhile the UK prepares for the May 3rd local elections, the only point of note will be that it is one more step on the route towards Tony Blair stepping down this summer. Gordon Brown continues to grow more nervous about his inheritance with each passing day, especially in light of Labour's weakening poll ratings putting Labour on 30% and the Tories on 38%, the worst in 20 years. This, in a month that ends with more UK soldiers killed in Iraq, than since the March 2003 invasion, definitely does not help matters.

That's a political wrap, until next week.

By John York

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