Well for a week now I have been reading how the assault on the JAM in Basra was a failure . But as so often happens in war ;the first 3 reports were inaccurate . Turns out that his army got it's butts kicked and he as the losing party called for cease-fire. While his thugs slithered into the civilian population the Iraqi Army continued it's block by block clean up operation.

While this was happening the Iraqi Parliment in bipartisan action that encompassed leaders of all major factions Shia Sunni and Kurd were drafting a Bill and proclaiming they would support banning parties that maintain militias from running for office.

al-Sadr has said that he would disbanned if the clerics instructed him to do so .
Iraq's Sadr to disband Mehdi Army if clerics order - Yahoo! News

Major clerics like al-Sistani have been clear about their position .
Al Jazeera English - News - Sistani 'Wants Militias Disarmed'

Going into tomorrows hearings on Capitol Hill I wonder how the Congressional Democrats will spin this news ?

Ace High

Al-Sadr is playing his cards well. He retains his force and makes Maliki look bad. He comes across as the hero for his people. All the killings that happen are always the other guys fault. It was a major embarrassment the other day when the police/army forces turned their weapons over to the Mahdi folks instead of fighting them. -- Ace

speechlesstx

If they don't manage to dodge it altogether (seeing as how Mimi is already expecting Petraeus to lie), I'm sure they'll have the spin in place. In fact they just sent Bush a letter demanding change on Iraq prior to the hearings, adopting the three monkeys pose you warned about.

Why is it they never wonder how much damage is done by insulting our troops; calling them liars (Evita, Schumer), incompetent (Schumer and every other Dem that said the war is lost or can't be won), stupid (Kerry, "stuck in Iraq"), poor, dumb screw ups with no other options (Rangel), murderers, (Murtha, supported by Obama), or Nazis (Durbin)?

tomder55

Ace yes some of the Iraqi forces did not perform well but it was a huge improvement over their performace of a year ago ;or dare I say; during OIF .

al-Sadr does not look strong . The facts are that the border is sealed from his weapon supply and he cannot reinforce. The only thing he salvages from this move is some possible political viability .But even that is shrinking as the Shia population is beginning to realize he is a stooge of the Iranians and all he will do is continue to bring them misery.

When the Brits surrendered the city his milita had the chance to prove they were capable of responsible leadership. They failed in that task and they failed as a military entity. All they can do is act like a very large gangster organization .

Maliki's move to consolidate all military power under the elected government is a necessary step to the national formation. it is the equivalent of the Israeli take down of the Irgun militia on the Altalena during their infancy . It is the equivalent of Wahingotn leading the troops against the Whiskey Rebellion or the Mass. State milita taking down the Shay's Rebellion.

tomder55

Steve shining the light of truth is the only defense against their irreponsible demogogery . General Petraeus will endure their insults and will not be diverted or provoked into straying from reporting the facts.

tomder55

update

An al-sadr spokesman says that the clerics told him NOT to disarm according to CNN

The CNN Wire: Latest updates on top stories Blog Archive - Spokesman: Al-Sadr told not to disband Mehdi Army « - Blogs from CNN.com

Which clerics is my question ;the ones in Najaf or the ones in Qom Iran ? or possibly he found out what Sistani would say so he decided to not consult with him at all.

speechlesstx

Let's see, since al-Sistani has already given his blessing on disarming the militias according to the second article you posted and Mookie is in Qom, my guess is he was listening to the clerics in Iran.

tomder55

yup and Mookie is still hiding away in Iran ;receiving additional marching orders;while his support on the home front crumbles .......and he cancelled his million man march scheduled for today to protest the occupation. (lack of interest ?)

excon

Hello:

Meanwhile, our guys are getting killed..... So, you don't think this is a civil war???? Nahhh. You're still looking for WMD's.

excon

speechlesstx

The Jerusalem Post reported this yesterday:

I'm anxious to learn more.