In the past two days it looks like the US military coalition has decided to finally take out Sadr from his Shiite stronghold. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/06/iraq.main/index.html Any thoughts on why they are moving now? I have a feeling this has something to do with trying to do some damage control after the Abu Grahb scandal.
I would say it's more a response to their strategic defeat at Fallujah. But you could be right. As to the reasoning behind the move, it's hard to say without knowing the parameters, but given the state our rep is in right now, attacking a Shi'ite cleric could be the straw that leads to widespread revolt against us. As is the US has been trying to isolate Sadr in the hopes that the Shiite community woud see him as more of the problem then them, but to do this now, when there is little doubt which way general Iraqi sympathy will swing... ...I wouldn't want to be there after wo try this, that's for sure. Not that it's high up on my holiday list as is, but if we do this now, duck and cover.
Sure, Better to let the guy continue to lead a revolt then to slap him in irons and show the world that we will not be pushed around. They should have gone in straight away. DD
At the same time it looks like Sadr's support in the Shiite community is flagging. Its possible that they decided to move on him now that they perceive a weakness in his support but this just seems surprising considering what happened in Fallujah. It seems like they could've let him and his militia stew for awhile in Najaf further embittering the locals against him until they rise up themselves, as some seem to have had already, against him. I find the coincindence with the timing of the latest scandal to hard to ignore and if ever the US coalition needed some good news, like crushing Sadr, now would be it.
Better yet, let's strip him naked and defile him on camera to show those arabs that we are F-KING SERIOUS about winning their hearts and minds! We'll kill and torture and blow stuff up until those stupid morons give us their freaking hearts annd minds. Once we have that those terrorists will be screwed.....They'll be all "Hey USA, I'm going to bomb some stuff cause you suck", and we'll be all:"Hey, Ali, you can suck it! I just ****ing won the Arab world's hearts and minds by giving out some kick ass, torture a mofo, blow sh-t up democracy...How do you plan on bombing me now beyatch without no heart and no mind! I got that sh-t !!!"
They hate us already, Sam. Wringing our hands while negotiating with the enemy will only embolden our adversaries and draw more recruits to him with their new-found ability to force us to negotiate. Send the Marines in, kill 'em all and leave their bodies to rot. The recognition we gave Sadr by trying to play UN-style with those brain-dead negotiations was ridiculous at best, naive at worst.
