But they are scary brown people, so Rush and Al and Hawk will hate this policy. "We've given them freedom! They must stay and make it work!"

the United States also is working to develop special provisions for resettlement of thousands of Iraqis who work for the United States in Iraq and are still there

Why would that be necessary? Everything's going so well over there, who in their right minds would want to leave?

First few drops of the coming flood.

My oldest brother married a vietnamese refugee, so now I have a part-vietnamese niece. Spotted around America are vietnamese restaurants, and groceries, etc. The effects of the vietnamese diaspora are woven in the fabric of the country now, part of our everyday lives.

When my kids grow up they will see everyday effects from the coming Iraqi diaspora.

The same thing happened after the Shah of Iran was removed from his illegitimate throne and many from the Iranian secret police moved to America. Now the Iraqis who assisted with the torture at Abu Ghraib and who betrayed their fellow citizens by supporting foreign invaders can move to the US. I do not think these types of immigrants reflect the humble heritage of those who came to the US yearning to be free.

2 million external refugees, 2 million internal displaced persons, by latest report. 18 million in aid to the UN for external refugees-about $9 per person. This seems to be similar in scale to the start-up of the Palestinian refugee crisis. We really don't need another set of permanently displaced people in the Middle East. Meanwhile, last year approximately 200 (yes, 200) were re-settled in the US.

7,000 is a big population increase for Crawford, Texas.

At the very least, Iraqis who have risked their lives, and their family's lives, to act as guides and translators for the U.S. mission during the occupation, ought to be welcomed to America.

Plus soldiers and police, newspaper publishers, elected officials and their staffs -- probably around 300,000 - 1,000,000. Compare John Kerry's comments before the Congress as a member of the Winter Soldiers (a few thousand, he said) to what happened after Americans withdrew.

It wouldn't be a total loss: the Sunnis could return to their homes in the Kurdish region and in Baghdad and al Anbar province. That's about 1.5 - 2 million repatriated.

I don't have a real "point". Just thinking out loud about the scale of the problem.

The idea that things will get better for Iraqis (of any kinds or all kinds) if the American troops withdraw is sort of fanciful. If the Iraqi refugees in Jordan could be persuaded to be loyal to the elected government in Iraq instead of an imposed tyranny by someone of their ethnic group, they could end the war by returning home. I think that might be fanciful as well.

jimBOB: When my kids grow up they will see everyday effects from the coming Iraqi diaspora.

We have hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in the US already, added to the many who fled Iraq before the US invaded who are in other parts of the world, so the diaspora already exists. These expatriate communitiess will help to settle the new refugees, but there must be some caution: Sunnis and Shi'ites withint the US are hostile to each other in some places.

This is a wise and just policy, which suggests that the White House had nothing to do with it.

Gore/Edwards 08: But they are scary brown people, so Rush and Al and Hawk will hate this policy. "We've given them freedom! They must stay and make it work!"

I haven't heard Rush criticize this policy, but I did unfortunately catch a few minutes of Michael Savage yesterday. Ugh! He was blasting the policy, based on his presumtion that all Muslims are terrorists. As he described it, bringing Iraqis into this country means importing terrorists.

MatthewRMarler

I know you're right, there are already iraqi expat communities here, but I have the feeling in a few years they'll be a lot bigger.

Awesome. 0.3% of Iraqis who have fled the country since the invasion. Only 99.7% to go.

Gazillions and gazillions of angry Muslims coming to America!!

Conservatives just love to create immigration problems.

"After the defeat of South Vietnam by North Vietnam in 1975, Nguyen Cao Ky fled to the United States, and settled in California. A career soldier who eventually became commander of the South Vietnam Air Force, Prime Minister and Vice President of the Republic of Vietnam."

This is the kind of person who will come to America from Iraq, not the patriots who are nobly fighting foreign invaders. Ky does not resemble the poor and huddled masses who made America great, but the rich and entitled who inhabit the White House.

Al, Hawk and I, Have a bid problem with this,Why would Bush support the Iraqi's cut and run to the United States they need to put on the Iraqi uniform and help the Blossoming democracy in there own country.Our troops can't come home why should they take the place of our boys.

john john: Why would Bush support the Iraqi's cut and run to the United States they need to put on the Iraqi uniform and help the Blossoming democracy in there own country.Our troops can't come home why should they take the place of our boys.

According to the disgusting Michael Savage, the Iraqis who will be brought here will be the needy: women, victims of torture, etc. These people obviously aren't potential soldiers.

At the very least, Iraqis who have risked their lives, and their family's lives, to act as guides and translators for the U.S. mission during the occupation, ought to be welcomed to America.

Do you really think those are the people who will be let in? No, Kevin, I think guys from the oil industry and friends of Chalabi will be the lucky ones to come here, get citizenship and vote Republican.

> This is a pretty meager number,

It's hard to find Iraqis that actually support Bush and does anyone think they'd let any Iraqi in that doesn't support Bush and the occupation?

As I wrote in 2004, I hope Iraq has a tasty cuisine, because Iraqi restaurants are all we're going to get out of our Mesopotamian Misadventure.

The same thing happened after the Shah of Iran was removed from his illegitimate throne and many from the Iranian secret police moved to America.

Many were simply the wealthy Iranian elite who were living it up under the Shah's gvmt. I went to HS with the sons of one such family.

Based on the French experience in Algeria, the 7,000 figure is two orders of magnitude too small.

These expatriate communitiess will help to settle the new refugees, but there must be some caution: Sunnis and Shi'ites withint the US are hostile to each other in some places.

Exactly, which is why we have to put ourselves within the middle of a civil war over there to keep from being in the middle of a civil war over here....

Translaters yes, Chalabis no. Let the Brits take them.

ex-lberal. So we are going to bring in more welfare people.Well that is just great.I hope they are moving to crawford Texas i don't want my hard earned money taking care of these people.You know they will have to raise taxes to pay for all the help these despondent people will need.Maybe the Neo-cons will take up funds among the rich to pay there way.

Can't wait to see Dobson face when Bush tells him that funds that where meant for faith based will be taken to build Mosques around the U.S. for these poor Iraqi's.

"ex-liberal" wrote: According to the disgusting Michael Savage, the Iraqis who will be brought here will be the needy: women, victims of torture, etc. These people obviously aren't potential soldiers.

Yeah, because victims of torture obviosuly never become radicalized...

I know you're just hponing in your bullshit these days, "ex-liberal" -- what do you, get points for every neocon lie you post? -- but this effort was unusually feeble even for you.

MatthewRMarler wrote: I don't have a real "point".

You don't say...

As I wrote in 2004, I hope Iraq has a tasty cuisine, because Iraqi restaurants are all we're going to get out of our Mesopotamian Misadventure.

well I know a certain FauxNews talk show host who's going to be thrilled. Falafel!

7000 in a year? until it closed the border a few days ago, Syria had been taking in around 2000 Iraqi refugees per WEEK.

And yes, Steve Sailer, the Iraqi style of Middle Eastern food is good- with influences from the Gulf States, Pakistan (eg a preference for Basmati rice), and Persia. We're hoping that our Glorious Leader in Australia will initiate a similar refugee-driven culinary diversification, but it's unlikely, as he's rumoured to be a boring 'meat and two veg' person.

7,000 Iraqi refugees

I wonder it they'll have to sign a release form saying that they promise never to complain about what Bush did to their country as a condition of living in the US?

According to the 2000 Census, there are 90 000 Iraq born immigrants in the US . There are almost 2 000 000 Iraq refugees in Syria and other countries making a humanitarian crisis that the Bush regime won't deign to help.

...[U.S. Undersecretary of State Paula] Dobriansky said the United States also is working to develop special provisions for resettlement of thousands of Iraqis who work for the United States in Iraq and are still there, but face increased threat because of their cooperation with the coalition.

More evidence that 'The Surge' is nothing but a political stunt: behind the scenes, they are already planning to retreat.

Well, it's up from the 230 we let in last year...

Consider the refugee problem and the dead iraqi collaborator problem addressed. Nothing to look at here. keep on movin'.