January 11, 2007
HOPEFULLY IT'S JUST FOR SHOW ANYWAY:
Promising Troops Where They Aren't Really Wanted (SABRINA TAVERNISE and JOHN F. BURNS, 1/11/07, NY Times)
The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has not publicly opposed the American troop increase, but aides to Mr. Maliki have been saying for weeks that the government is wary of the proposal. They fear that an increased American troop presence, particularly in Baghdad, will be accompanied by a more assertive American role that will conflict with the Shiite government's haste to cut back on American authority and run the war the way it wants. American troops, Shiite leaders say, should stay out of Shiite neighborhoods and focus on fighting Sunni insurgents. [...]It is an opinion that is broadly held among a Shiite political elite that is increasingly impatient, after nearly two years heading the government here, to exercise power without the constraining supervision of the United States. As a long-oppressed majority, the Shiites have a deep-seated fear that the power they won at the polls, after centuries of subjugation by the Sunni minority, will be progressively whittled away as the Americans seek deals with the Sunnis that will help bring American troops home.
These misgivings are broadly shared by Shiite leaders in the government, including some whom Mr. Bush has courted recently in a United States effort to form a bloc of politicians from the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities that can break Mr. Maliki's political dependence on the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. He leads the Mahdi Army, the most powerful of the Shiite militias that are at the heart of sectarian violence in Iraq.
You can't keep treating them like children and wonder why they don't grow up. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 11, 2007 12:38 PM
Sadr and the bulk of his militia need merely to stand down and accept assimilation into the Iraq force structure. In the meantime, we will clear out the Sunni "insurgents" who have foolishly concentrated in Baghdad. (The extra US troops slated for Baghdad represent at least a doubling of our forces there.)
If Sadr doesn't stand down, we and the Kurdish troops slated for his part of town will do what's necessary.
And we're finally yanking Iran's chain with precision action on their assets within Iraq. Next up, if needed, will be precision action within Iran and/or Syria, backed by the full faith and credit of our nuclear-capable carrier groups.
It's show time!
Posted by: ghostcat at January 11, 2007 2:06 PMThey have not grown up because Sadr's Mahdi death squads are killing non-jihadist Sunnis to sectarianly cleanse Baghdad. Grown ups would have attacked the Sunni jihadists with the regular army. Grown ups would have helped the US fight the Sunni terrorists. Grown ups would have waited after the US left before their sectarian cleansings. In fact Sadr is doing Iran's bidding to make the situation so bad to humiliate the US and leave Iran's nuclear bombs alone. That is why Iran is financing both the Sunni Jihadists and the Shiite death squads. Sadr is hurting the Shiite's cause. The Mahdi army is Iraq's Hizbollah, Iraq's Hamas.
Posted by: ic at January 11, 2007 2:14 PMIf you were a poor Shia and had witnessed both Saddam's trial and our hand-wringing over Abu Ghraib, would you trust either America or the Malaki government to protect you and your family?
Posted by: ghostcat at January 11, 2007 2:24 PMNot surprisingly, this NY Times article doesn't jibe with other articles that say the Iraq govt wants more US troops to help restore calm.
I fully bought into the "as they stand up we will stand down" argument from Bush and OJ. But the past 3 years have shown they can't stand up unless we a) clean out the swamp a bit more for them, b) prevent Iran and Syria from reenforcing the violence, and c) help improve economic conditions to prevent further violence.
Posted by: AWW at January 11, 2007 3:13 PMic: "In fact Sadr is doing Iran's bidding to make the situation so bad to humiliate the US and leave Iran's nuclear bombs alone. That is why Iran is financing both the Sunni Jihadists and the Shiite death squads."
Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
Posted by: Rick T. at January 11, 2007 4:19 PMWhy would they stand up if we're willing to be their mercenaries? Better dead Americans than Iraqis is a sensible strategy.
Posted by: oj at January 11, 2007 4:34 PMic:
We burned all of Atlanta, not just the guys in gray coats.
Posted by: oj at January 11, 2007 4:35 PMSadr already cut his deal--he's fingering the guys he can't control.
Posted by: oj at January 11, 2007 4:39 PMMookie needs a bullet, for the old Texas reason if no other - "some folk just need killin".
Posted by: ratbert at January 12, 2007 12:12 AMMookie is the one pulling the trigger on those who need killin'.
Posted by: oj at January 12, 2007 9:03 AM