Qubad Talabani, the son of Iraqi president Jalal Talabani (pictured here last week in Tehran), is the Kurdistan Regional Government’s representative in Washington. I have given him some grief in the Corner in the past for promoting the idea on his weblist that Bush lied the United States into war (and into liberating Iraq from Saddam). And, on other pages, I’ve questioned the wisdom of the Qubad’s father’s party paying Peter Galbraith at a time when Peter was also making such charges, which had little to do with Kurdish issues and much to do with sharply partisan activity. Qubad has never retracted or explained his position or actions, or apologized for slandering the sacrifices of American servicemen who are the reason that Iraqi Kurdistan need not worry about Saddam Hussein today.
Well, now it seems that such things are the rule rather than the exception. On his new blog, Qubad includes in his blogroll five sites, four of which are sharply political and partisan from a staunch realist or left-of-center position. What are the favorite blogs of Qubad and, presumably, the Kurdistan Regional Government? “Democracy Arsenal,” “Marc Lynch’s Abu Aarvark,” “Talking Points Memo,” “The Washington Note,” and “Foreign Policy Passport.” Many foreign governments strive to take a bipartisan approach to Washington politics. It’s a bit curious that Qubad Talabani and, by extension, Masud Barzani’s Kurdistan Regional Government, have decided not to do so.