The Seeds Of The Revolt: U.S Targeted Fiery Cleric In Risky Move

[diamond14]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2679-2004Apr10.html

THE SEEDS OF THE REVOLT
U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric In Risky Move
As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, April 11, 2004; Page A01


BAGHDAD, April 10 -- "Bremer follows in the footsteps of Saddam," screamed the headline in al-Hawza, a tabloid newspaper run by firebrand Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr. With incendiary language, the article accused L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator of Iraq, of deliberately starving the Iraqi people.


A month later, on March 28, Bremer ordered the weekly paper shut down.


Several American and Iraqi officials now regard Bremer's move to close the newspaper as a profound miscalculation based on poor intelligence and inaccurate assumptions. Foremost among the errors, the officials said, was the lack of a military strategy to deal with Sadr if he chose to fight back, as he did.

"It has been the perfect storm," an official with the occupation authority said. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there is wide agreement among political strategists working for the authority that military action in Fallujah was justified after the savage deaths of the contractors. But there is greater dissension within the authority over the tactics employed against Sadr, the official said.

"Did we have to go after him right now?" the official said. "It should have been delayed. Dealing with both these problems at one time is crazy, if not suicidal."

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The military began to assemble plans to go after Sadr, an initiative that was blessed by Bremer and the senior U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz also favored taking action against Sadr, a senior military officer at the Pentagon said.

[soothsayer]

1. Just like Waco.

We just HAVE to make a show of things, instead of a quiet arrest. Then it all blows up and lots of people get killed.

Dumbasses.

[boobooday]

2. Liberation -- unclear on the concept?

Shutting down newspapers -- not really democratic.

We have a major problem in Iraq. Who is the enemy? Bush convinced the American people that it was Saddam. Now who is the enemy? That leaves only the Iraqi people who we are supposedly there to "liberate."

The resulting mass confusion manifests itself as mass death.

A huge mess.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[diamond14]

3. what happened to the term 'evil do-ers'?? didn't hear condi say it

once, it's completely gone from all WH press briefings, and reTHUGlican talk-show garbage....

seems like 'evil' and 'evil do-ers' was the HOT phrase for a long long time....