Can Someone Please Read Anthony Cordesman
in Sunday’s New York Times, and explain just who it is we’re fighting over there?
Even if American and Iraqi forces are able to eliminate Al Qaeda in Iraq, there are still three worrisome possibilities of new forms of fighting that could divide Iraq and deny the United States any form of “victory.”
One is that the Sunni tribes and militias that have been cooperating with the Americans could turn against the central government. The second is that the struggle among Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and other ethnic groups to control territory in the north could lead to fighting in Kirkuk, Mosul or other areas.
The third risk – and one that is now all too real – is that the political struggle between the dominant Shiite parties could become an armed conflict.
And:
Fighting is now occurring in southern Iraq and parts of Baghdad between the Mahdi Army, which is under the control of the populist cleric Moktada al-Sadr, and a coalition of forces led by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s Dawa Party and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a powerful party led by a Maliki ally, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. This latter coalition has de facto control of much of the Iraqi security forces, and Mr. Hakim’s group has its own militia, called the Badr Organization.
Much of the reporting on this fighting in Basra and Baghdad – which was initiated by the Iraqi government – assumes that Mr. Sadr and his militia are the bad guys who are out to spoil the peace, and that the government forces are the legitimate side trying to bring order. This is a dangerous oversimplification, and one that the United States needs to be far more careful about endorsing.
So, whose side are we on? And equally important, who’s on our side?
John McCain wants to KILL Jews and start Armageddon – I hear 527 commercial will be:
Script:
* Narrator: “America is UNSAFE with John McCain, Rod Parsley and John Hagee in the White House.”
* Narrartor says, “John McCain has known for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS that HIS spiritual advisors, Rod Parsley and John Hagee, want to KILL ALL JEWS, invade Iran to start Armageddon.”
* Narrator: “Years ago John McCain read books that BOTH Parsley and Hagee wrote describing their hatred of Israel, their hatred of Jews, their hatred Catholics and their desire to invade Iran and start Armageddon.
* Narrator: “Years ago John McCain watched videos that Rod Parsley and John Hagee made saying they HATE JEWS and want to KILL ALL JEWS and invade Iran to start Armageddon.”
* Narrator: “McCain KNEW what those HORRIBLE men think BEFORE he recently sought them out to be HIS spiritual advisor in the White House.”
*Video of McCain, Parsley and Hagee.
— McCain saying to Rod Parsley, “I am very honored today to have the truly great leaders in America, a moral compass, a spiritual guide…thank you for your leadership and your guidance. I am very grateful you all are here.”
* Narrator: “Rod Parsley wants America’s sons and daughters blood spilled to KILL all Jews, invade Iran and start Armageddon.”
* Video of Rod Parsley with date stamp 2006
— Rod Parsley saying, “ISREAL must be DEFEATED by a Russian-Arab military alliance, preceded by a U.S. invasion of Iran, in order to usher in Armageddon and the second coming of Jesus.”
* Video with date stamp 9/11/2001
— John Hagee saying, “United States is to blame for 9/11!”
* Video of John McCain with date stamp 4/2007
— McCain singing, “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.”
* Video with date stamp 12/2007
— John Hagee saying , ”The United States must be in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God’s plan … a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ!”
* Narrator: “John McCain has been lying to Americans to justify invading Iran and destroying Jews in Israel.”
* Video with 3/18/08 date stamp:
— John McCain saying, “al Qaeda Islamic are being trained in Iran and sent back to Iraq.”
* Video with 3/19/08 date stamp:
— John McCain saying “Iran is training al Qaeda.”
* Video with 3/21/08 date stamp:
John McCain saying “‘There is ample documentation that Iran has provided many different forms of support to Al Qaeda.”
* Narrator: “Senior military advisors in Iraq think McCain is lying and they say, “Iran provides support for Sunni terror outfits in Iraq, but they have not identified Al Qaeda in Iraq.”
* Narrator: “John McCain is lying to America so he can invade Iran, destroy the Jews in Israel and start Armageddon.”
*Video plays
— John McCain laughing & singing “bomb, bomb bomb Iran.”
* Narrator: “America is UNSAFE with John McCain, Rod Parsley and John Hagee in the White House.”
March 30th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
WOW! What next?
March 30th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Well, the really bothersome problem with all this is that our “leaders” probably don’t know who we’re fighting either.
I’m reminded over and over of that scene in the classic film where Lawrence of Arabia tells Anthony Quinn that as long as the Arab peoples keep fighting amongst themselves they will be “a little people…a silly people.” And really it seems like they have altogether too many people who want to be king, to the exclusion of all others.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Ask oliver North if he will walk down the streets of baghdad now? w/o bodyarmor/guns you now might get a more accurate answer.
but who wants honesty in todays news anyway?
March 30th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Oh! Stop confusing me with these ideas about caution. You blunder on with the inadequate plan you have, not the sensible one you should. Now I have to forget all of this so I can act surprised when things are worse.
Don’t you just hate these people, Mr. Ostrich?
March 31st, 2008 at 5:01 am
I am disappointed that you had Ann Coulter on tonight and never got to discussing her current column about Senator Obama’s book. Did you read the column? Isn’t her column the reason for her presence on the show? An intelligent discussion would have been welcome instead of the sniping of Conservative vs. Liberal that went on. Perhaps in a future show you may want to have such an important discussion. Thank you.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:11 pm