Enough political capital to seem like a bad ass.

blink on April 13, 2008 at 11:13 PM

maybe even a…. leader?

I think your point is right on.

However, everyday it seems more likely that you’re wrong.

Politically, it might not matter if he won in Basra or not. He took the initiative. It seems as if that initiative might have earned him some political capital with the Sunnis and Kurds. Enough political capital to stay engaged. Enough political capital to seem like a bad ass.

U.S. had to get into the “dustup” after the fact, quickly… when it became apparent the IA was getting their arse kicked!

Maliki then flew quickly to Teheran to negotiate a ceasefire with Sadr.

But that’s just me…!

“…The multinational force has been killing and capturing mookies guys all week. Six and twelve at a time. Check out the news briefs at the MNF website. Here is the link:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=1&id=4&Itemid=21
dogsoldier on April 12, 2008 at 9:54 AM

“When they stand up, We’ll stand down.”
President George W. Bush

Where are they standing… after five and a half years of “potty training”?

On our point?
Along our side?
Letting U.S. lead?

Humvee Hit In US Apache Missile Blunder

Updated:11:41, Sunday April 13, 2008
The US military said the ‘friendly fire’ attack happened after the aircraft crew spotted a group of four militants placing roadside bombs.
A Hellfire missile was fired into the group, killing two gunmen.
But a second Hellfire was then launched that missed its target and struck a US vehicle instead…
…More than a hundred people have been killed in cleric Moqtada al Sadr’s east Baghdad stronghold since his Mehdi Army militia starting fighting with US and Iraqi troops a week ago…”
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1312738,00.html?f=rss

Another source states… “U.S. and Iraqi troops…”
How would M. Yon characterize the action…?

“April 12, 2008. U.S. and Iraqi forces killed at least 13 gunmen in heavy battles overnight around Baghdad’s Sadr City, the U.S. military said on Saturday, but authorities went ahead and eased a two-week-old blockade of the slum. (Kareem Raheem/Reuters)”

“…Is it possible that the Iraqi people will start to realize that the IA is strong enough (and now more experienced) to dominate all conflicting forces within the country…? blink on April 12, 2008 at 6:55 PM”

One person’s force is U.S. and Iraqi, another’s is Iraqi Army?

One wonders how M. Yon would describe the action?

Many “chickens” counted before hatching are just “yolks”…!

Is it possible that the Iraqi people will start to realize that the IA is strong enough (and now more experienced) to dominate all conflicting forces within the country?

If so, won’t this help the perception that the central government is in charge and that the best way to oppose them is through elections?

I’m not asking if this will happen overnight. Just that it’s a start.

It may take weeks to finish the job, but Maliki slowly will use the Iraqi Army to take back Sadr City block by block, if necessary.

I do not think that General Petraeus would be at all pleased by this kind of claim.

If folks are lead to believe that Maliki can take back Sadr City, in what is Sadr’s stronghold, and anything like every block, and in just a few weeks, and with the Bush administration now saying that the Shiite militias are now the main threat in Iraq, then a lot of Americans will expect many to most American troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by a few months from now.

General Petraeus himself has said “Progress in Iraq is fragile, it is tenuous” and “I think everybody recognizes that there has been progress in the security arena, but there’s no one who is doing any kind of celebration here. There is an enormous amount of hard work to be done.”

If General Petraeus is reading any of this, highly unlikely of course, he is probably thinking about that old saying, “I can handle my enemies, but please God save me from my ‘friends’”.

KW64 on April 12, 2008 at 2:17 PM

You’ve made me curious to look up the newspapers of the day to see what they did say.

“This utterly predictable defeat just shows once again the incredible poor judgment of trying to bring Europeans to the New World. Anyone with the IQ above that of a Chimpanzee should surely be able to see that our only option is to return everyone back to Europe while there is still anyone left alive to save. Cannot even the arrogantly stubborn U.S Grant administration see that continuing to waste lives and treasure trying to establish a permanent foreign presence in a monolithicly hostile indigenous population with a history of thousands of years of instability and conflict will be no more permanent than a boil waiting to be lanced and is folly of historic proportions. However, we will not hold our breath waiting for the ignorant militarist hick from the western Prairies of Illinois to admit his inexcusable incompetence.”

Called this one.

And so far, it appears he is succeeding. It may take weeks to finish the job, but Maliki slowly will use the Iraqi Army to take back Sadr City block by block, if necessary.

Impossible, the NY Times has said it can’t be done; already failed.

Looks like Maliki has decided to grow a pair.

ThePrez on April 12, 2008 at 10:33 AM

Working to ensure Iraq’s security for all Iraqi’s. Isn’t that a benchmark we have been looking for? With all due repsect to General Petreaus, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, dim as it may be, it’s there.

A’ash al Iraq, A’ash al America!

“It’s the result of an attention-span deficit in the media. Rather than wait for an outcome, journalists draw conclusions from the first hours of a battle. Major military actions take longer than a single news cycle.”

One would have to wonder what would transpire if the Maliki government started banning all “foreign journalist” from Iraq that publish agenda-driven fabrications. Which human-rights violations would our liberal friends claim are infringed?

Apparently, Nouri al-Maliki doesn’t read American newspapers to determine whether his offensives against the Mahdi Army have succeeded.

Thank God!

I’ll take the word of a soldier like Dog who’s been there over a teleprompter reading bubbleheaded ditz any day of the week.

Get some Major, happy hunting.