I Tend To Harp On Iraq
This is an important week, as saintly, reverend, majestic General Petraeus is coming to Washington to tell part of the truth.
IRANIAN forces were involved in the recent battle for Basra, General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, is expected to tell Congress this week.
Yeah, no kidding. A lot of them were fighting under Prime Minister Maliki's command. The Iraqi government is closely linked to the pro-Iranian Badr Brigades, with many of their members inside the Iraqi security forces, and in fact in the aftermath of Basra Maliki inducted 10,000 Badr militia members into the police and Army.
We also have the bizarre situation of Maliki calling on Shiite militias to disband while hiring other Shiite militias. I guess some pro-Iranian forces are better than others. And this could just be a total mess.
With tensions rising, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, told CNN Sunday that al-Sadr's followers would not be allowed "to participate in the political process or take part in upcoming elections unless they end the Mahdi Army."
He was referring to provincial elections expected in the fall that are likely to redistribute power in Iraq. The Sadrists have accused al-Maliki's government and rival parties of trying to diminish their standing ahead of the vote.
If you try to disenfranchise the movement that can put a million people in the streets on a few day's notice, somehow I'm thinking that won't end with hugs and kisses.
But this of course doesn't matter to the Republican spinners trying to absolve themselves of blame for this catastrophe. The great and glorious war in Iraq can only be lost because of Iran. So we must fight Iran, and that great and glorious war could only be lost because of... I don't know, Russia... we have over 190 countries, so this thing could extend.
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- April 7, 2008
Iraqi women lose rights under occupation
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130602
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By MichtouApril 7, 2008 - 12:33pmIts all planned
This was planned to get rid of sadr , Or like the msm like to call him the anti- american or radical sadr.The sadr that wants the occuption to end . And is also going to have a peaceful march to end the occupation. Bush could not let that happen , what will happen to all that oil? Sadr is to well liked and will pick up to many seats , To disban his militia would be a big mistake on his part when badr gets to keep his. There is something wrong when petraus will use iran ,When iran is more closely tied to Maliki and the badr militia.
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By getmad54April 7, 2008 - 3:58pmTo all: get some perspective
Iraq Is a Mess. But Germany Was, Too.
By David Stafford
Sunday, April 6, 2008; B03
As for de-Nazification, it sounded good, and indeed was morally and politically necessary. But distinguishing between real and nominal Nazis often proved extremely difficult. Small officials who’d joined the party out of necessity were thrown out of office, while big businessmen who’d profited under Hitler were left alone. The policy generated growing hostility to the occupiers, and its implementation was soon handed over to the Germans themselves. This caused its own bitterness as the Germans were often seen as being too lenient.
Even so, despite this willingness to rethink and adjust, occupation policy floundered. Two years after Allied victory, Germany was in desperate straits, facing an economic crisis that threatened to nip democracy in the bud. Only the Marshall Plan, with its massive program of financial aid, saved the country from disaster. Self-government did not come until 1949, and Allied troops remained in West Germany as occupiers until 1955, a full decade after the defeat of the Third Reich. Unrepentant Nazis stayed active on the extreme fringes of West German politics for years, and a few ex-Nazis held high positions even in mainstream politics until the 1960s. The Christian Democratic politician Kurt Georg Kiesinger, who had joined the Nazi Party in 1933, was chancellor of the Federal Republic from 1966 to 1969.
Rebuilding a nation is possible. But even in the best of circumstances, it takes effort, time, patience and pragmatism. As 1945 confirms, liberation from a dictator in itself offers no easy path to peace or democracy. Battlefield victory is the easy bit. Building peace is a constant struggle — and it’s a matter of years, not weeks.
THE WHOLE ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND IN SUNDAYS WASHINGTON POST.
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By hateyApril 7, 2008 - 4:07pmYou are a moron
There was no insurgency in Germany or civil war in Germany like there is in Iraq. Germany is nothing like Iraq.
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By hufflarry2000April 7, 2008 - 4:24pm