October 22, 2006
LET THE MAHDI ARMY BE BAGHDADISTAN'S OFFICIAL ARMY:
In Iraq, Shiite vs. Shiite power play: Moqtada al-Sadr's followers have clashed with US and Iraqi forces in the past week. (Dan Murphy and Awadh al-Taiee, 10/23/06, CS Monitor)
US policymakers and senior Iraqi politicians alike agree that the most important precondition for ending the country's sectarian war is to defang the Sunni and Shiite militias.But doing so means taking on Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, one of the country's largest and most powerful militias. Already, efforts to rein in Mr. Sadr's army have met fierce resistance and contributed to the rise in violence throughout the country this month.
The gaping presupposition here is that the sectarian violence ought to end before Mookie and company have settled the Sunni hash. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 22, 2006 7:59 PM
If Mookie wants to settle things with the Sunni, fine. But if he keeps killing Americans he won't live to be the Supreme Shi'a. His canoodling with Iran alone is reason enough to kill him now.
Posted by: ratbert at October 22, 2006 9:53 PMAmericans are trying to stop him. We're fair game.
Posted by: oj at October 22, 2006 10:29 PMLet them duke it out. Then we come in to mop up whoever left standing.
Posted by: ic at October 22, 2006 10:43 PMYup, the last death should be Mookie's.
Posted by: Steve White at October 23, 2006 9:28 AM