General Sanchez out. Mullah Sadr in. What do you think?

[NNN0LHI]

US closes in on deal with Iraqi cleric - Moqtada al-Sadr


http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0525/p01s04-woiq.html

Despite battles in two cities Monday, officials say talks are under way to turn Moqtada al-Sadr's army into a political group.

By Orly Halpern | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

BAGHDAD – As fighting between Shiite militiamen and US-led coalition forces continued Monday, the outline of a Fallujah-like solution began to emerge.

The death toll rose in Baghdad and Kufa as the Mahdi Army of militant Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr battled US troops. But behind the scenes, direct negotiations were under way to transform Sadr's militia into a political entity and end a violent rebellion.

The coalition has declared repeatedly that it will not negotiate with "militias and criminals." Nonetheless, a deal may be forthcoming with Sadr, said an official close to the talks. The coalition has previously said it wanted the cleric killed or captured.

If the deal pans out, it could bring to an end the seven-week conflict. The hope is that by engaging Sadr politically, the coalition can neutralize him militarily. His militia might also eventually be integrated into the Iraqi national security forces.

Such an accord would reverse previously held coalition strategies - much as happened in Fallujah. In that Iraqi city, the scene of intense fighting in April, militia including many of the same insurgents who were fighting the Marines are now in charge of keeping the peace.

more

[displacedtexan]

1. There are so many BushCo flip flops...

Their heads are spinning faster than Linda Blair's!

[nodictators]

2. It seems Sanchez was caught hanging around in "low places"

Like the Bush (formerly Saddam) torture chambers and maybe even the Bush (formerly Saddam) rape rooms.

Three-star generals ought to know better. Apparently, Sanchez can now forget about getting his fourth star.

[Jacobin]

3. They have no choice

Sadr has a 32% "strong support" rating and a 46% moderate support rating among Iraqis.

What the hell else can they do other than kill the 8 million Iraqis or so who "strongly support" him.

Bottom line is we are about to have our asses run out of Iraq, and properly so.

[PATRICK]

6. Massive defeat for Bush

Even damage control is too kind a word. Retreat possibly moving to an involuntary rout might seem premature but someday in retrospect today might be the day.

They are doing desperate rushed things in addition to reeling under new crises of their own making. Chalabi out. Feverish arrangements with the Kurds and Shia that can never be satisfactory. The UN still on the sidelines, our hand still stubbornly stuck around the cookies in the jar. Unstoppable violence. A constantly stopping pipeline.

Now the "criminal" they wanted to hunt down to clear the path for June 30th (and set an example) has been accommodated into a good citizen, his army now legitimized as a political force with no real assurance they can't resort back to their profitable resistance anytime they see fit.
Prestige and concessions to calm things for the big showcase June 30th transfer!

The date and it's relevance to election plans means more to Dubya than anything else about Iraq at this point. He just wants a showpiece that otherwise will go quietly and unnoticed in abject misery and puppet tyranny like Afghanistan and Texas.

There is no shame or honor- only redefinition of terms. Only the campaign between vacations.

[Texican]

4. 2nd Ammendment

This proves the value of the 2nd ammendment. A poorly trained and feebly armed militia is defeating an evil army of occupation and keeping their people from being enslaved for the benefit of a third party. Saddam really is more of a democrat that Shrub. He made sure that every one in Iraq that wanted one had an assault rifle. If you talk to anyone from there they will tell you that they were some of the freest people on earth. Yeah I know Saddam was a filthy lowlife bastard, but so is Shrub and his neo-con cabal.

[SoDesuKa]

5. Resisting an Occupation

Oh get off it. There isn't a snowball's chance in Hell of an occupying army taking over in America. This is the most far-fetched argument I've ever heard.

[bemildred]

7. They have been saying this for a while.

al Sadr's position has not changed, his condition is the
departure of US forces from the cities, so it is sort of like
Faloojah. I expect he wants to be able to publish his newspaper
and all that too, so basically he will stand down if we
capitulate.

[IrateCitizen]

8. This is an absolute necessity

Say what you want about Sadr -- he IS a manic fundamentalist, driven in a personal quest for power -- the US has helped in making him and his Islamic militia a powerful force in Iraq.

Any attempts to continue to exclude him from the political process will only result in further violence. The US backed themselves into a corner on this one, thinking that they could somehow control or eliminate al Sadr just because they wanted to. This turn of events helps prove that, despite the Bush administration efforts to the contrary, at its foundation, Iraq is still a country owned by the Iraqis.

This is a huge defeat for Bush, but it might actually be a step forward for the Iraqis.

[bemildred]

10. Bush is far more of a power-man fundy than al Sadr. nt

[Aidoneus]

9. a good Plan Of The Day, but it won't amount to anything

Tomorrow, they'll go back to calling him a "insurgent terrorist thug with no support".

Or maybe the occupation authorities saw his 68% approval rating and decided that they were insulated from reality on the matter long enough and realized that what they were biting off was more than they can chew.

[loudsue]

11. Al Sadr had better watch his back w/ this neocon cabal....

Bushbots are very well known for their hypocrisy. Entering into a deal with the devil usually doesn't bode well in the long run.

They'll use you as long as they need you. But then you're quickly toasted.