May 14, 2008

IT'S GOOD POLITICS...:

Iraqi prime minister in Mosul to direct offensive against Sunni militants (The Associated Press, May 14, 2008)

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in the northern city of Mosul on Wednesday to supervise a military offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq called Lion's Roar, a defense ministry spokesman said.

Maliki's flight to northern Iraq mirrors a similar trip he took almost two months ago to the southern city of Basra, where government troops fought radical Shiite militias. That fighting spread to the Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad, where a cease-fire to end that fighting was only reached on Monday.


...to show up and take credit for the ones you can win, but avoid the ones you lost.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 14, 2008 11:17 AM
Comments

He did the same at the beginning of Basra. Incidentally, where are these losses? Basra and Sadr City are both in the hands of the government, and any militia that fights them automatically loses their legitimacy because Sadr signed the cease-fire. It's more likely that a powerful and roundly liked al-Maliki, made so by the goodwill gained from busting the criminal gangs in Basra and Sadr City, will be able to welcome Sadr into the political fold later as recompense for Sadr throwing his uncontrollable followers to the lions of the Iraqi Army. As a theory of the situation in Iraq, that holds up better than saying that the Iraqi army lost in Basra. There may be a lot going on with the Iraqi Army, but them losing to the JAM gangs isn't one of them. At least not right now.

Posted by: Jay at May 14, 2008 1:12 PM

Exactly. He went to Basra and Mosul, but can't go to Sadr City. You don't associate yourself with failure.

Posted by: oj at May 14, 2008 2:21 PM

Wow, has Orrin just admitted that maybe just maybe Mookie didn't win in Basra?

Progress.

Posted by: Jim in Chicago at May 14, 2008 8:18 PM

Progress? No one ever said he lost in Basra. He wasn't fighting Mookie there, except in insignificant numbers of ideological supporters. He fought him in Sadr City...and lost.

Posted by: oj at May 14, 2008 8:39 PM

Mookie didn't fight anyone. He was studying for his spring mid-terms.

Posted by: ratbert at May 14, 2008 9:57 PM

Which makes the ease with which the Sadrists drove off Maliki even more impressive. Though they were no match for Uncle Sam.

Posted by: oj at May 14, 2008 10:52 PM
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