More stunning progress in Iraq: The Sadr Trend
AP reports:
"A senior aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was assassinated Friday in the holy city of Najaf. Authorities immediately announced a citywide curfew and security forces deployed on the streets. Riyadh al-Nouri, the director of al-Sadr's office in Najaf, was gunned down as he drove home after attending Friday prayers in the nearby city of Kufa, a police officer and a local Sadrist official said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media." [Shouldn't they have written "Radical" director of Sadr's office in Najaf?]
Another Friday, another curfew in Baghdad. As John McCain says, we "can now look ahead to the genuine prospect of success." Indeed, the surge has truly "opened the way for a return to something approaching normal political and economic life for the average Iraqi." [Kaboom!]
It's funny how these news agencies are reporting the all-out war going on between the US and the Mahdi Army in Basra and Sadr City as if there's nothing really going on. Sure, mortars are crashing into the Green Zone and US Predator drones are killing "active mortar team(s)" and various other militants by the hour but, other than that, the surge is a model of success. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I'd say it's another al-Sadr uprising, but you know, what do I know?
Best for the media to keep the lid on all this talk of the lid coming off in Iraq because we don't want to make people think the war John McCain has been promoting his entire career and now is most accociated with -- more so than even Bush nowadays -- could be going down the tubes.
Best to focus on tactics and the scientific nature of the surgical progress of the US military.
Note this piece of classic propaganda:
"Armed drones are routinely used for long air patrols over the capital. They rely on their sensors to pick up militant activity during the night, and insurgents do not have air defenses capable of shooting down the slow-moving aircraft."
The drones have senors that "pick up militant activity"? Wow, that's pretty amazing, who knew? How do they do that exactly? Because, I mean, I know we never kill civilians when these flying drones fire their missiles into tightly packed urban areas. See, AP reports right here that "U.S. airstrikes also killed 12 more suspected militants." The drones know who these people were; suspected militants! They have sensors that tell them the difference between Joe Shmoe who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and the radical cleric's militants.
As for the militants not being able to shoot down the slow-moving aircraft, I'd say more famous last words; just give them time. You just know Iran has got something up their sleve. Gen. David Petraeus told congress all about the "Sadr Trend" and the Iranian influence going on, so you have to expect the Quds ("cuds" to W.) will be supplying some more sophisticated stuff real soon.
For all their help, though, al-Sadr sure doesn't seem to be wanting a fight necessarily. It was our bastard in Baghdad Nuri al-Maliki that started this whole latest round of fighting after all. The Iranians were the ones who put a stop to it in Basra last week. Strange behavior for a regime bent on messing up the surge and taking over Iraq (and the destruction of Israel, don't forget).
Petreaus looks like the one spoling for a fight these days. Time is running out for him to prove the brilliance of his surge plan and things aren't looking too promising right now. We're on track this month to lose more troops than we've lost in months and he's being forced to pull out his surge troops just at the very time the wheels are coming off. What's an ambitious general with delusions of grandour to do?
Start a war with Iran, of course. If he could just get a real old fashioned war going with air power and armor rolling down pave roads, find a city to plant a flag in and get away from all of this inconclusive street fighting, he might have a shot at running for president in 2012. Roll up the regime in Tehran, and Sadr (and possibly the Taliban and Hezbollah) will follow, the thinking in the Fuehrer bunker might be going.
Sounds like a plan. That's better than not having a plan, right?
"A senior aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was assassinated Friday in the holy city of Najaf. Authorities immediately announced a citywide curfew and security forces deployed on the streets. Riyadh al-Nouri, the director of al-Sadr's office in Najaf, was gunned down as he drove home after attending Friday prayers in the nearby city of Kufa, a police officer and a local Sadrist official said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media." [Shouldn't they have written "Radical" director of Sadr's office in Najaf?]
Another Friday, another curfew in Baghdad. As John McCain says, we "can now look ahead to the genuine prospect of success." Indeed, the surge has truly "opened the way for a return to something approaching normal political and economic life for the average Iraqi." [Kaboom!]
It's funny how these news agencies are reporting the all-out war going on between the US and the Mahdi Army in Basra and Sadr City as if there's nothing really going on. Sure, mortars are crashing into the Green Zone and US Predator drones are killing "active mortar team(s)" and various other militants by the hour but, other than that, the surge is a model of success. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I'd say it's another al-Sadr uprising, but you know, what do I know?
Best for the media to keep the lid on all this talk of the lid coming off in Iraq because we don't want to make people think the war John McCain has been promoting his entire career and now is most accociated with -- more so than even Bush nowadays -- could be going down the tubes.
Best to focus on tactics and the scientific nature of the surgical progress of the US military.
Note this piece of classic propaganda:
"Armed drones are routinely used for long air patrols over the capital. They rely on their sensors to pick up militant activity during the night, and insurgents do not have air defenses capable of shooting down the slow-moving aircraft."
The drones have senors that "pick up militant activity"? Wow, that's pretty amazing, who knew? How do they do that exactly? Because, I mean, I know we never kill civilians when these flying drones fire their missiles into tightly packed urban areas. See, AP reports right here that "U.S. airstrikes also killed 12 more suspected militants." The drones know who these people were; suspected militants! They have sensors that tell them the difference between Joe Shmoe who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and the radical cleric's militants.
As for the militants not being able to shoot down the slow-moving aircraft, I'd say more famous last words; just give them time. You just know Iran has got something up their sleve. Gen. David Petraeus told congress all about the "Sadr Trend" and the Iranian influence going on, so you have to expect the Quds ("cuds" to W.) will be supplying some more sophisticated stuff real soon.
For all their help, though, al-Sadr sure doesn't seem to be wanting a fight necessarily. It was our bastard in Baghdad Nuri al-Maliki that started this whole latest round of fighting after all. The Iranians were the ones who put a stop to it in Basra last week. Strange behavior for a regime bent on messing up the surge and taking over Iraq (and the destruction of Israel, don't forget).
Petreaus looks like the one spoling for a fight these days. Time is running out for him to prove the brilliance of his surge plan and things aren't looking too promising right now. We're on track this month to lose more troops than we've lost in months and he's being forced to pull out his surge troops just at the very time the wheels are coming off. What's an ambitious general with delusions of grandour to do?
Start a war with Iran, of course. If he could just get a real old fashioned war going with air power and armor rolling down pave roads, find a city to plant a flag in and get away from all of this inconclusive street fighting, he might have a shot at running for president in 2012. Roll up the regime in Tehran, and Sadr (and possibly the Taliban and Hezbollah) will follow, the thinking in the Fuehrer bunker might be going.
Sounds like a plan. That's better than not having a plan, right?
posted by William Duane at 2:54 PM
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