Looks like we still don't have al-Sadr's supporters on our side.

[robertpaulsen]

MSM has made it seem like al-Sadr and his brigade are behaving in a manner compliant with US interests, that everything is copacetic as the "election" approaches.

Yet I found this paragraph buried at the end of an article about the helicopter crash:



In Baghdad's Sadr City district, Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops raided a Shiite mosque, detaining up to 25 followers of a radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, police and the cleric's supporters said.

http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20050126/D87RT00G2.html?PG=home&SEC=news


So why did this happen? I thought all the Shiites we're ecstatic with the approaching "election" and their presumed rise to power over Iraq. Are these just "dead-enders"? What gives?

[wtmusic]

1. They forgot one word in his description

It's supposed to be 'radical FIREBRAND cleric Muqtada al-Sadr'.

The WH memo went out to AP, what's the problem? (it's so hard to find complia- er, competent wire services these days)...

[bemildred]

2. "Militant", don't forget "militant".

Al Sadr has made few statements saying that an election under occupation
was not valid, but he seems to have chosen to take a low profile otherwise.
I suspect he is keeping his options open, sort of. I have seen a number
of stories that indicate that Sadr City is not under occupation control
and has not been for a long time, if ever.

[robertpaulsen]

3. True, and it's little incidents like this that may limit his options.

Remember last time all it basically took was the closing of a newspaper for al-Sadr and his brigade to kick it into high gear. I'm sure we'll hear a lot more about him in MSM after the election. The misadministration obviously has no love for a Shiite who doesn't toe the party line.

[wtmusic]

5. Wisely choosing a low profile

for the time being anyway.

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, I thought so too.

It's nice to have options, and from his point of view I would
see no reason to get a lot of people killed trying to hurry things
up. Al Sistani is the one that is betting all his marbles on the
election and it's follow on.

[robertpaulsen]

4. LOL! I can think of a good American analogy.

I believe it was Pat Robertson who hinted that someone should nuke the State Department. (Sorry I don't have a link. Perhaps it was Fartwell or Wildmon.) But you'll never hear MSM refer to any of them as 'radical militant firebrand clerics'.

Then again, AP could slip up again!