It is no coincidence that the more highly educated have been targeted by the fundamentalists. Reportedly, thousands of professors and researchers have fled the country. The well educated represent the secularism at the heart of the fundamentalists' fears. Killing them or scaring them off leaves no alternatives to the intellectual control of the hyper-religious. The Sadr-ites not only want to control people's bodies but also their minds. Zarqawi's replacement might be even more effective than Zarqawi.
I think that Iraq is the issue that explains the election results. Other issues are proxies for this IMHO, and this issue is a proxy for American greatness. Happenings such as this three years after the overthrow Saddam are quite disheartening, speaking for myself. I went around parts of the blogosphere and saw less about this than I might have expected.Suspected Shiite militiamen dressed as Interior Ministry commandos stormed a Higher Education Ministry office Tuesday and kidnapped dozens of people after clearing the area under the guise of providing security for what they claimed would be a visit by the U.S. ambassador.
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U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid sternly warned al-Maliki face-to-face on Monday that he must disband the militias and give the United States proof that they have been disarmed, according to senior Iraqi government officials with knowledge of what the men discussed.
Many supporters of the WoT and the Iraq war have begun to abandon Bush. This incident ought to enrage, and it does, but it is certainly played out via the MSM as a sense of American impotence more than a sense of what we're up against. Of course, to employ the full force of American power will lead to "bad things" happening for which we will be responsible. Although we should not pre-judge the possible changes in strategy and tactics in the weeks ahead, we appear to be headed for a clear change in direction. Either we will be finding ways for Maliki to retire or we will begin the process of pulling up stakes. No matter what happens I'm sure the words "hypocrisy" and "incompotence" will be heard often.
3 comments:
Fifty were kidnapped. Twenty released. Iraqi commando groups found and freed the rest. The kidnappers were garbed in old police uniforms. The police chief in charge in the area, plus a few more officials, were fired.
Heard it in passing on tv while doing dishes so no link.
Barry:
I have read that over the last few days no less than three high ranking bush administration officials have gone to Iraq to lean on Maliki and tell him the militias have to go. He tells them that it would be political suicide to move on all fo them.
However, acts like this will only make it eaiser for Maliki to make the choice. If not taking out the militia is political suicide as well...then why not?
This is the problem the militias face themselves. If they push it too far and they probably will, then the only reason for tolerating them disappears.
The press has managed to frame the war the way it wants, the truth is CNN has been very helpful to the enemy and the enemy knows it.
The other day some guy told me that back in WW2 we accomplished a lot more in less time. I told him that back in WW2 we would have fire bombed Sadr City. Those days are gone. And I am not saying I want them back either. But people are just tired of this constant bad news and they think that if Bush was more competent or more forceful or whatever then this would have been over by now.
But Bush does not control everything. All he can do is try to hang in there until the tide turns.
I leanred that many were released, but they could have just been easily killed. The ability to do this in broad daylight, as they say, at this point should not be taken lightly. Good that Iraqis got on top of it quickly. That was good news.
terrye,
I think that's what makes this so difficult, i.e., one way things could get "straightened out" is to fire bomb Sadr city. That won't happen. Americans are going to want the impossible--powerful victory and only the bad guys get hurt, you know sort of like what's expected of God. Others demand it as well. In many ways Maliki and Co. had more to do with the electoral tide than Chuckie Schumer and Liddy Dole.
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