Sometimes I'm struck by the sheer enormity of Bush's stupidity. It is truly breathtaking. After nearly 4 years of steadily-intensifying guerilla warfare with no end in sight, Bush has decided to expand the war.
Think I'm kidding?
As Robert Dreyfuss says, "The president is trying to cobble together, brick by brick, an Iraqi government that is able and willing to do what al Maliki's can't or won't do: break the back of Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army and redouble the offensive against the Sunni-led Iraqi resistance." ("Bush v. The Two Majorities" Robert Dreyfuss; uruknet.info)
So, now Bush figures that he's doing so well against the Sunni resistance that he's ready to take on the biggest Shiite militia in Iraq?
Makes sense, doesn't it?
After all, if you're already getting clobbered why not speed it up and get it over with fast.
This is mind-boggling!
Muqtada al-Sadr is the most powerful man in the country, the de-facto sovereign of Iraq. He oversees the 60,000 man Mahdi Army which currently poses no threat to US forces. If Bush turns on him, the occupation will become virtually untenable overnight. Al Sadr's men have infiltrated every area of the state security apparatus including the police force, the Interior Ministry and the fledgling Iraqi Army. He's capable of cutting off US supply lines to Baghdad, disrupting oil production, and coordinating attacks on the Green Zone.
Fighting al-Sadr is a "no-win" situation and anyone with any sense would steer clear of it.
So, why does Bush want to rouse this sleeping giant when his hands are already full?
He doesn't like al-Sadr?
What difference does it make if Bush doesn't like him? That's just gibberish. Franklin Roosevelt didn't like Stalin, but he didn't open up a two-front war to prove his point? This type of thinking is foolish and counterproductive especially when we're already embroiled in an "unwinnable" asymmetrical conflict.
It just shows, once again, that Bush is not a person that we can take seriously.
There are also reports that Bush is fine-tuning a plan to remove Prime Minister al-Maliki and replace him with an "iron-fisted" tyrant who'll go after the death squads which have turned Baghdad into an anarchic slaughterhouse.
This is another whacky idea. Al-Maliki has no power other than his connections to the armed militias. He doesn't control US forces and he's certainly not going to attack his own power-base; that's expecting too much of him.
The US already undermined what little authority al-Maliki had by forcing him to meet with Bush in Jordan. That triggered a "walk-out" of al-Sadr loyalists, al-Maliki's main body of support. Now the Prime Minister has been reduced to a meaningless figurehead who neither controls the Defense or Interior Ministries. He has no army, no militia, and no power.
Seriously, Did you honestly expect there to be a true change of course? GW is using war criticism to justify expanding all levels of this fiasco. As for the coporate big wigs that will resist GW, You must mean the corporates not making money off this now. Who could they be?
Surely not big oil. This confusion and market fear is what supports the current 60$ (not cheap) price. By the way Iran & the Saudis enjoy that price too. It can't be the Corporates selling the 2BILLION$ a month for replacement equipment.
Perhaps it's the Dempcrats? I doubt it. A successful resolution of this diaster will take the winds out of their sails for the 08 election charade. Besides when you watch Harry Reid on This Week say he'll support a troop increase with a mission that pretty well says it all. What mission? That's the best part. We had no real mission going in. Can anybody honestly say there's been a mission the last 4 years? Now all of sudden we NEED a Mission. Yes. No plan to go in and stay so far, but now we just have to have a PLAN to get out!! There just has to be a name for this kind of game besides stupidity, duplicity or profit. What could that be?
Thanks. I always enjoy your articles Mr. Whitney.
Hoss
by
"Hoss" David P. (51 articles, 5 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 339 comments)
on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 1:28:07 PM
