I will stop beating the NYT when it stops lousy reporting.

Today the ‘grey lady’  tells us that a: Ex-Premier Is Expelled From Governing Party in Iraq

BAGHDAD – In a shakeup at the top of Iraq’s Shiite power structure, former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was expelled from the governing Dawa political party, officials said Saturday.

Dr. Jaafari, a physician who was an Iraqi exile leader for decades before returning in 2003 to serve as prime minister, was expelled for creating a political movement that had opened talks with rivals of Dawa’s leader, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a senior party member, Haider al-Abadi, said in a telephone interview.

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First issue: It is ridiculous to have as only source for this a selfserving Maliki mouthpiece in a telephone interview when the byline suggests the report is from Baghdad.

Second issue: Jaafari is at least since a week ago no longer member of Dawa. He was not ‘expelled’ but walked away from it.

The developments come as Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a former prime minister, launches a new political party, National Reform.

The party will take part in the next provincial elections under a separate list from the Dawa party, al-Jaafari said on Saturday.

Third issue: Jaafari did not only "open talks" with others, but these talks were finished two days ago.

Jaafari and his coalition now have 90 nationalist votes in the parliament. That is a serious challenge to Maliki and his overlords in Washington and Teheran.