Offensive against al-Sadr coming soon?
posted at 2:05 pm on January 2, 2007 by Allahpundit
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A “limited” offensive, according to senior Iraqi officials. Christopher Hitchens is distraught over Saddam’s execution for what are mostly good reasons, but I wonder if he’s missing the fact that it gives Bush and Maliki leverage to go after the militias more aggressively. Quote:
Several officials in the Shi’ite political parties that dominate Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s unity government also say they are losing patience with Sadr’s supporters and predict more raids like last week’s joint U.S.-Iraqi operation in which a senior Sadr aide was killed.
“There will be limited and targeted operations against members of the Mehdi Army,” a senior Shi’ite official told Reuters. “The ground is full of surprises but we think around January 5 there will be some operations. I can say no more.”…
“The Americans want a war with the Mehdi Army,” said a Western diplomat in Baghdad, who was not American or British…
But Maliki’s fragile authority among his fellow Shi’ite’s has been bolstered by Saturday’s hanging of Saddam Hussein, whose Sunni-led administration oppressed the Shi’ite majority.
Assuming Maliki really does want to neutralize Sadr instead of using him to ethnically cleanse Baghdad, this is his best chance. He’s got political capital to spend and a perfect excuse to unleash the military — reaching out to Sunnis who were alienated by the execution by targeting their chief persecutor. The timing also benefits Bush, who’s going to announce a troop increase either next week or later this month. If he can knock a few pillars out of the house of Sadr before then, it’ll be easier to sell a surge at home.
As for the logistics of the surge, if you want some sobering reading follow that last link to the WSJ and skip down to the graphic. Start there and just keep going. It sounds like the withdrawal’s going to begin next winter of necessity, no matter how things look on the ground.
In the meantime, the AP wonders why Americans are so upset by what are, historically speaking, shockingly low levels of casualties. Don’t be scared by the provenance; it’s a solid read.
Polling analysts believe Americans are more sensitive to casualties than in the past because they neither see vital interests at stake nor feel the “halo effect” from a clear prospect of success…
Greater wealth and smaller families make Americans even more protective of their children and more loath to send them into battle than they once were, some argue…
Reassured by official optimism and quick success in the invasion phase, Americans never expected to lose so many of their young in this war. In the first weeks, 80 percent of the public thought the final U.S. toll would not surpass 1,000, a Gallup survey found.
Some wonder if U.S. society, now populated by baby boomers who recall Vietnam and never knew the hardships of the Great Depression or World War II, has simply lost its stomach for great sacrifices. Or perhaps in a materialistic culture, priorities are simply elsewhere now.
The Iraqi government’s been measuring casualties on its side, too. According to the Lancet study, the number killed since the beginning of the war is in the neighborhood of 655,000. Reprisals were at their all-time worst this year, which means we can guesstimate from that figure that, say, 250,000 were killed in 2006. According to the government, the actual number of violent deaths was … 16,273. That figure’s not trustworthy either — compare it to some of the monthly figures for Baghdad alone — but could they really be off by a factor of 15? Or am I violating Boehlert’s first rule of journalistic ethics by questioning the Larger Truth here?
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pleasepleasepleeeeeease kill that prick.
Tony737 on January 2, 2007 at 2:20 PM
Which is more overdue – killing Sadr or Sadr making a trip to the dentist (based on the picture).
It’s a tough call, but I’m going to go with killing Sadr.
thirteen28 on January 2, 2007 at 2:24 PM
Bah. That receipt should have been cashed in back in the day, when Al-Sadr first got froggy.
Kid from Brooklyn on January 2, 2007 at 2:27 PM
They need to learn from Israel, it’s all or nothing against goons like this or they spin it into a victory for themselves.
bj1126 on January 2, 2007 at 2:27 PM
Argh, thirteen28, get out of my head!!
KelliD on January 2, 2007 at 2:30 PM
If we had done it then a lot of the resistance would have died out almost immediately. If you play soft with these goons they smell blood and they bite at your ankles.
One Angry Christian on January 2, 2007 at 2:38 PM
We can only hope, but I think the Sadrists are already in bed with the current Iraqi government. Maliki’s National Security Advisor was one of the witnesses at Saddam’s hanging. According to the translation linked on this site he said..
Now, that’s Sadr’s dad, who was cut from a different cloth than his son, but I think this is a very important fact that needs to be investigated.
BohicaTwentyTwo on January 2, 2007 at 2:39 PM
Times a wastin!
Kini on January 2, 2007 at 2:42 PM
Sorry Kelli – maybe we should petition AP to find a picture of Sadr covering his mouth in the way that KP does in everybody’s favorite picture of her. Somehow, I don’t think the former would be as endearing as the latter though …
from the (other) AP article:
I’d say that pretty much nails it for every generation following the Greatest. We are soft.
thirteen28 on January 2, 2007 at 2:43 PM
nothing like having the element of surprize on our side.
They should not wait to take out Al-sadr. His and saddams executions could be the 1-2 punch the starts to get this thing under control….. (I said could..)
DarianCounts on January 2, 2007 at 2:45 PM
Am I the only one who is worried that this information is coming to light because assuming we know, Mookie knows and if Mookie knows he’s getting his PR (baby killing/Islam violating Infidels) campaign ready and preparing to hide out in a mosque.
Defector01 on January 2, 2007 at 2:47 PM
The reason we can’t “stomach” the losses is because the anti-American press and liberals in general breathlessly count each and every American death but we never hear how many of the enemy have been killed. Where is that number?
Capitalist Infidel on January 2, 2007 at 3:09 PM
Which is why we should go after him in his mosque. If they disrespect their holy places by hiding weapons and planning murder in them, why should we let them use the masques as a safe haven? We need to go after them wherever they are. If they decide to use their places of worship as a headquarters, then it is fair game.
jman on January 2, 2007 at 3:38 PM
Kick Sadr’s butt NOW!! We have wasted to many troops pussy footing with this decaying slimball. We should have earlier but NOoooooooo, to many wimps on the poltical front, not military. We best do something quick and not wait. Then pull all our troops to all the borders so nobody gets in and let them shites and suunis go at it. Take control of thee oil so it doesn’t get taken out of the picture and most lib’s thinks that’s what this is all about anywyas but who cares. Let’s get it done. Since when have we ever thought about a totalm number of troop KIA’s in any war was good? I remember a battle in Nam where our death rate was put at 50%. I am glad they cancelled the battle but it happens in a war zone. Let’s make it happen period. Rant over for 2007………….NOT, lol
bones47 on January 2, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Just want to clarify – I am not advocating targiting their mosques. I just think their leaders should not be safe in them if they are using them as a headquarters.
jman on January 2, 2007 at 3:43 PM
He kind of looks like a demented John Candy in that pic.
EnochCain on January 2, 2007 at 4:04 PM
Cap Infidel’s got it. Why don’t they tell us how many bad guys we’ve killed? 1) Because that might *offend* somebody. 2) Because that could be used as propaganda for our side. 3) Because the “enemedia” wants us to lose.
Thirteen28, yes, we are soft, but let me tell ya about this current generation. Not the generation as a whole, but this generation in the military. They are the Next Greatest Generation. I meet them everyday at work. They’re humble, and so proud of what they’re doing. They know the sacrifices they make for us but they do it for their country. They make me so proud to be an American! Just today, an Army M2 Bradley guy told me he does it “Because I love my country.” His wife, also in the Army, is going to A-stan for a YEAR! I told him how grateful I was for his sacrifice. He just smiled and said “That’s what we gotta do to protect our nation.” A young Marine Infantry guy told me today how he’s headed for his first trip to Iraq, that he’s looking forward to defending his country. The other day, another young Marine and his wife and son were on my plane and this guy was all about “My wife, my son, my Lord and Savior, my country.” He had just gotten back from the war and he turns on the news and “It’s nothing like what I saw over there.” When I told him how much I appreciated his service, he said “That really means a lot. Just hearing you say that makes it all worth it.” I couldn’t believe my ears! The Army Sgt I met today also said “Thanks for your support, ’cause when I watch the news, it seems like the whole world hates me.” It almost brought tears to my eyes that he thinks America doesn’t support him and his mission. When we landed I got on the mic and told the other passangers about our special guests, 2 Army and 6 Marines, the gave a thunderous applause! Now they *know* their country loves them back!
Tony737 on January 2, 2007 at 4:08 PM
Actually, I was thinking Hell’s version of Dom DeLouise.
flipflop on January 2, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Enough with the kid gloves. Just shoot the fat bastard. When his minions riot, shoot them too.
“I can say no more.”
mojo on January 2, 2007 at 4:20 PM
I’ve got this theory that the Sunni/Baathist insurgents are about tapped out. But I think it’ll take an all-out offensive against Sadr and his Mahdi militia to tone down the Shi’ites.
flipflop on January 2, 2007 at 4:24 PM
oooops, I wasn’t done yet. When I make those announcements, people always wanna meet these guys and shake their hands, buy ‘em a drink and say ‘Thank you’. It breaks my heart to what the media is doing to these fine young men (and women!). I’ve seen ‘em all. A female Airmen on her way home from boot camp, a Navy Corpsman on his way to Iraq, several with long hair on their way to A.F. boot camp, a Paratrooper with a prosthetic leg, Rangers, pencil pushers, Coasties and so many Marines you’d think they were the largest branch, not the smallest. I see them in uniform, in civies (always get ‘em a free beer in civies!) With and without families. They are you and me, everyday people doing something so historically imperative, yet they’re so humble about it. They know who and what they’re fighting and why. One of the Marines I spoke with today said they have predeployment classes that’re taught by returning Marines. I could go on and on about these guys, I tell them “It’s because of guys like you that my daughter will never hafta wear a burqa.” They are my freakin’ heroes!
Thank you to all those HotAir G.I.s commenting on this website or silently reading it!
Tony737 on January 2, 2007 at 4:24 PM
Clear on the right…clear on the left….BA-BOOM…see ya sadr baaaaaaaaaaabeeeeeeeeee…!!!
areseaoh on January 2, 2007 at 4:29 PM
Tony737 –
I’m a frequent traveler for work, and I never miss an opportunity when hanging around a bar at ATL between flights to buy a table of GIs a round.
I’m waiting for a chance to give a GI my 1st class seat since I get upgraded more often than not.
flipflop on January 2, 2007 at 4:34 PM
Muqtada! Muqtada! Muqtada!
RightWinged on January 2, 2007 at 5:14 PM
BRAVO TONY737!
Now, about Mookie..DO IT..DO IT NOW. And if the report is right, then “little” Mookie is sweating it bigtime! He KNOWS in a couple of days, he either gives up or dies. Period. I vote for Door #2 so I hope he resists and fires on our guys..give them an excuse. BTW, are they going to use the ARREST WARRANT as an excuse to go get him? Just a thought.
labwrs on January 2, 2007 at 5:36 PM
Tony, I would not dream of arguing with you for one second about our fighting men and women, who are better than we deserve at this time. About that I am quite sure you could not be more right as they clearly represent the best of us.
But here on the homefront and within the non-military population, I would argue that the majority of Americans are indeed soft and decadent. From the constant whining about how “bad” our economy is (a “bad” economy that the Greatest Generation would have loved to be a part of), all of the hand-wringing about doing whatever is necessary to actually win the war, the banishment of competition for the sake of self-esteem (denying that there are winners and losers in life), and countless other examples, I’d say we are definitely soft, decandent, hopelessly materialistic and blind to the true nature of our enemies and of the world we live in. And it’s something that, disturbingly, cuts across the political spectrum – while I think it definitely applies to modern liberals and their belief in national suicide, I’m afraid that there are still too many conservatives that also fail to get it.
Again, let there be no mistake that those to whom you refer to Tony are definitely a shining exception to the rule. Our country would be much better off if there were many more like them.
thirteen28 on January 2, 2007 at 5:49 PM
Thirteen28
Good points. Lots of hypocrites throughout our society. Whether it is the ambulance chasing trial lawyer bemoaning the loss of traditional values and integrity, outspoken environmentalist parading around in their SUVs, or advocates of family values already spending time with their third different spouse – this is the picture of society as a whole.
We risk going out with a whimper, not a bang.
It starts with a life time commitment to family, spouse and kids – the things that only God and our loved ones recognize and appreciate.
Bradky on January 2, 2007 at 6:21 PM
Bradky on January 2, 2007 at 6:21 PM
“It” is referring to how we can recover from our slide into obscurity.
Bradky on January 2, 2007 at 6:46 PM
Freedom for Americans to go to starbucks with out the fear of a car bomb comes from blood, not from ink on paper. When we loose the will to give blood we will loose that freedom. Some Americans need to grow a big pair and grow them fast.
Ross
kara26 on January 2, 2007 at 7:08 PM
Tony, you literally made me cry. Thank you!
Also, consider writing and publishing your stories.
Entelechy on January 2, 2007 at 7:19 PM
Mookie looks like “Fat Bastard” from the Austin Powers movie in this picture… LOL… I love it!
MsUnderestimated on January 2, 2007 at 8:36 PM
Hey Thirteen, just so there’s no misunderstanding, I wasn’t arguing with you either. You’re right, we have a lot of slackers in the civilian population. But when I meet these military guys (especially Marines) it shows me that all is not lost for the future of our great nation.
Entel, this Army guy I spoke to today almost made my eyes tear up too. He had just gotten back from Rahmadi, saw lots of combat, comes home and sees a lefty spin on the news and thinks this is what America thinks! It crushed me! I told him over and over again that the media does NOT represent the views of most people in this country.
These are not my stories, but I wish I could’ve recorded each conversation and publish them, Entel. The Airborne guy missing a leg had such a positive viewpoint, despite his injuries. The Ranger tellin’ me about shootouts with “hajjis”. The Marine who called in an airstrike and watched it on his laptop. I wish I could remember all the stories I’ve heard. I spot these guys by their haircut and ask ‘em “So, are ya in the Marines, or do ya just use the haircut to get chicks?” They laugh and say “Army” or whichever branch they’re in. Sometimes I ask “Did you kill any of those muthaf***ers over there?” Most of the time it’s “Oh yeah man, lots of ‘em.” Or “No sir, I was in the Ops tent.” or something like that. The Marine I spoke to today seems to think Mookie is next. I shook his hand and said “God bless you sir, be safe over there.” Then gave him a free beer :-) I suggested he read “We Were One” about the battle of Fallujah, the author calls these guys the Next Greatest Generation. He was reading a book about ancient Greek warfare. A Paratrooper I saw the other day was reading “Great Battles That Changed The World”. These guys are smart, educated (screw you Jon Cary) humble, polite, patriotic and brave. They make me wish I had stayed in the Air Force.
God bless ALL of our Troops, even the Squidies! :-)
Tony737 on January 2, 2007 at 8:51 PM
FlipFlop, that’s great! Don’tcha wish ya could buy ‘em ALL a beer? Or lunch? A small gesture like that means the world to these guys. I once bought a pizza for a group of Navy nurses at Baltimore who were waiting to change planes. They were on their way home from Kuwait, after patchin’ up our wounded heroes. It’s no big deal to us civilians who take pizza for granted, but to them it was HUGE! Their reaction made me feel so grateful to have had the chance to do something (ANYTHING!) for them after what they’ve done for us. One of them was having trouble with the payphone, so I let her use my cell. No big deal, right? She was *so* grateful! Like I gave her a million dollars. All the little things we take for granted they go without.
Sorry, I don’t take up the whole thread and be off topic too!
DIE! Mookie DIE! There, now I’m back on topic :-)
Tony737 on January 2, 2007 at 9:15 PM
tony737
Just wanted to let you know, as part of this generation though not in the military, there are alot of us who are not what you see at those damned universities acting like spoiled brats. Lot of us who believe in this country and stand behind it but have the most idiotic and the most foolish get to the microphone first and open their big yaps.
Defector01 on January 2, 2007 at 9:24 PM
I wonder if his mother had any kids that lived…
Zorro on January 2, 2007 at 9:35 PM
If we had allowed the US and coalition militaries to do their thing, we wouldn’t even be uttering sadr’s name today.
He needs to go and I hope this time he doesn’t come out alive like saddam did. Too bad saddam didn’t have the guts to kill himself before he came out of the rathole. Maybe it was meant to be that the Iraqi’s execute him but I somehow think they wouldn’t execute sadr, I could be wrong.
Highrise on January 2, 2007 at 10:44 PM
Between “dead” and “dead sexy”, I’ll settle for dead… :-)
RD on January 3, 2007 at 1:18 AM
Why don’t we just drop a giant tab of acid in the water supply of Mookie’s mosque and let nature take its course among all those heavily armed Muslim nutcases?
Tantor on January 3, 2007 at 1:48 AM
Defector, absolutely correct, and just to clarify, I don’t want anybody to think that I was sayin’ ALL civilians in their 20’s are slackers. I told that Soldier yesterday that it’s a case of “silent majority vs vocal minority” and don’t let ‘em fool ya into thinkin’ that they represent the majority. I should’ve clarified that last night but my comments were too long already.
Tony737 on January 3, 2007 at 5:17 AM
Tony737,
You’re my kind of American, sir. John Wayne was thinking of you when he talked about what it means to be an American. God bless you.
From one of the Squids.
Subsunk
Subsunk on January 3, 2007 at 9:18 AM
Thank you Sub, however, all the praise belongs to those young men and women I was talking about.
I had several more military people on my four flights today. Soldiers, Marines, about 15 Midshipmen from Annapolis and a bunch of guys headed to Army bootcamp. I told some of the Squidies that when I see them it makes sleep well at night knowing these folks are the future of our nation because a lot of times I see hippie kids who keep me up at night *fearing* for our country’s future.
Major contrast: 1st flight today had several Marines, all polite, friendly and respectful. 2nd flight had a bunch of college basketball players who were loud, obnoxious and rude. Thanks for makin’ my point guys. Last flight had all the Naval Academy people who were very nice. They leave a lasting impression.
Tony737 on January 3, 2007 at 2:58 PM
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