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2008-04-02 Iraq

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Posted by Mike Sylwester 2008-04-02 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top
File under: Mahdi Army

#1 We will never see this point of view on the MSM while Bush is in office. The news of any victory in Iraq must comply with the left's idealism.

Posted by USMC6743 2008-04-02 00:29|| 2008-04-02 00:29|| Front Page Top

#2 Contrast this article with the one directly above. Are they talking about the same situation?

Posted by tipover 2008-04-02 00:44|| 2008-04-02 00:44|| Front Page Top

#3 The War was, is, and forever shall be, lost.

Posted by Harry Reid 2008-04-02 06:03|| 2008-04-02 06:03|| Front Page Top

#4 Let's see how Hilly and B.O. parse this one.

Posted by Bobby 2008-04-02 06:10|| 2008-04-02 06:10|| Front Page Top

#5 Sounds like "the Chicago way" to me.

That morgue got real busy, didn't it?

Posted by AlanC 2008-04-02 08:43|| 2008-04-02 08:43|| Front Page Top

#6 there were six men of hindustan....

Really, look at Leb. Leb army and UN force in place on the border, not Hezb attacks on Israel in a long time. So Israel won, right? But never got the kidnapped troops back, and Hezb strong as ever in Leb politics. So Israel lost? Or did they, if Hezb can no longer use force to undermine Israeli policies elsewhere?

If Sadr has lost ground in Basra, but solidified his position in Sadr city, whats the net net? Depends on how Maliki USES the improvement in Basra, and thats an open question.

Posted by liberalhawk 2008-04-02 11:42|| 2008-04-02 11:42|| Front Page Top

#7 Well obviously there are still blanks to be filled out but, unless I'm wrong, I think a partial consensus should be that:

- the ISF performed far better in this engagement than back in the Mahdi uprise of 2004
- the Iraqi Congress didn't sabatoge the ISF this time, in fact no significant element of the Iraqi political network was working against the govt.
- unlike in 2004, al Sadr began the engagement while studying islamic texts in Iran and ended the engagement studying islamic texts in Iran
- unlike in 2004, there are few, if any pro Sadr demonstrations in Shiastan

Posted by mhw 2008-04-02 13:39|| 2008-04-02 13:39|| Front Page Top

#8 ...and don't forget the oil. If Maliki was truly succesful in decapping the shia gangs in Basra, then that's true victory - control of the oil at the point of export. If Sadr gets to parade around a bit in his Baghdad slum, that's more than a fair trade.

Posted by Rex Mundi 2008-04-02 14:07|| 2008-04-02 14:07|| Front Page Top

#9 IMHO this was a victory for the Iraqi army and what some may be overlooking is the intel received from the captives. I don't think we lost any advantage in Baghdad, many reports say hundreds were killed and captured there also.

Posted by bman 2008-04-02 16:28|| 2008-04-02 16:28|| Front Page Top

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