Let’s Try Realism in Iraq
Captain Compassion
By William Tucker
President Bush’s war critics have made a remarkable discovery—some
people in Iraq want us to leave!
“The people of Fallujah love Cindy Sheehan,” Farouk Abd-Muhammed, a
Sunni candidate for National Assembly, told the Washington Post in a
front-page story fetchingly titled, “U.S. Debate on Pullout Resonates
as Troops Engage Sunnis in Talks.” After describing how Mr.
Abd-Muhammed had “watch[ed] recent television reports with his family
showing Americans waving banners that read ‘Stop the war in Iraq,’”
the Post quoted him again: “I salute the American people because we
know after watching them on satellite that they are ready to leave.”
Senator Edward Kennedy was right in the thick of things too,
condemning the presumed “scandal” of our military paying for newspaper
stories. “The Pentagon's devious scheme to place favorable propaganda
in Iraqi newspapers speaks volumes about the President's credibility
gap,” the Senator declared. “If Americans were truly welcomed in Iraq
as liberators, we wouldn't have to doctor the news for the Iraqi
people.”
Let’s get a few things straight. The Sunni are unhappy we are in Iraq.
The Shiites, a 60 percent majority, are generally glad we came. The
Kurds, a persecuted minority in the north, think we’re the greatest
people on earth.
Why is this so? Maybe it’s time for a little historical background.
The Muslim world is divided into two main sects, the Sunni and the
Shiites. The Sunni are a kind of aristocracy, claiming to be the
original followers of the Prophet. The Shia are a breakaway
minority—about 15 percent of all Muslims—centered in Iran and Iraq.
The division goes back to the wars of succession after Mohammed’s
death in 632 A.D. Under the banner of Islam, the tribes of the
Arabian Peninsula quickly conquered most of the Middle East, from
Granada to Kabul. In the process, they subjugated many people, forcing
them to convert. All were now Muslims, yet the Sunni held themselves
apart.
Those outside this Meccan Old Guard grouped around Ali ibn Abi Talib,
a cousin of the Prophet, who had married his daughter Fatima. A
scholarly man, Ali abjured the wars of succession but was finally
asked to become caliph in 656. Five years later he was assassinated,
but his mantle fell to his oldest son, Hussein.
In 681, Hussein and an entourage of 72 soldiers were intercepted by a
Sunni army of 40,000 in southern Iraq. The Sunni demanded Hussein
yield his claim to the caliphate. After deliberating eight days,
Hussein rejected the offer and elected to do battle. He and his small
band were slaughtered to the last man. The Shia still celebrate this
martyrdom in the “Ten Days of Muharram.”
Today, the rivalry between Sunni and Shia persists, with the Sunni a
ruling caste and the Shia an underdog splinter group.
Although a minority in Iraq, the Sunni have ruled since the days of
the Turkish Empire. Saddam Hussein’s Baathist party was a
minority-within-a-minority, the entire clique coming from one small
town, Tikrit. It was as if the Los Angeles Crips or the Chicago Mafia
had seized control of America. Inevitably, they ruled ruthlessly.
In invading Iraq, we have deposed the Sunni and are trying to give
power to the Shiites. Naturally, the Sunni are unhappy. The real test
is whether the Shiites will be mature enough to govern democratically
or will degenerate into vengeance and repression. When the radical
young Shiite mullah Moqdata Al-Sadr assembled militias and started
fighting both Americans and Sunni, we were in big trouble. But Al-Sadr
has calmed down and agreed to join the political process.
Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani—the spiritual leader of all
Iraq's Shiites—has endorsed a endorsed a secular state, urged his
followers to practice non-violence, and even criticized America for
not making the system democratic enough. These endorsements came
despite his unfamiliarity with politics. That’s why many have argued
that if the Nobel Peace Prize were really given to peacemakers,
Sistani would have won in 2005, a year in which he was nominated.
The Baathist holdouts are a desperate and fanatical lot, ready to die
before submitting to minority status. Worse, they are ready to kill
any Sunni who shows signs of compromise. It is an old
story—extremists wiping out the middle so they can go toe-to-toe with
the other extreme. The Communists were experts at this: The Viet Cong
always made a point of assassinating South Vietnamese village
officials.
“So aren’t we just in another Vietnam?” you may argue. But there are
differences. Vietnam was a peasant country that had been arbitrarily
split in half. Although most South Vietnamese wanted peace, our only
true supporters were the thin Westernized elite. In Iraq, we are on
the side of the majority.
In truth, the Sunnis are skilled and educated enough to hold their own
in an elected government. The problem is the Baathist die-hards—plus
Zaqarwi and his al-Qaeda brigades—who are determined to rule through
violence.
It will take patience to get through this. But the December 15
election should be another step on the path to stability.
William Tucker is a weekly columnist for The American Enterprise
Online.
--
"The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing
their memory, or their backbone, but we're not going to sit by and
let them rewrite history." -- Dick Cheney 11/16/2005
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography" -- Ambrose Bierce
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy." -- John Updike
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
dar...@NOSPAMverizon.net
Scott Maas
Captain Compassion wrote:
> Let's Try Realism in Iraq
> By William Tucker
>
> people in Iraq want us to leave!
>
> "The people of Fallujah love Cindy Sheehan," Farouk Abd-Muhammed, a
> Sunni candidate for National Assembly, told the Washington Post in a
> front-page story fetchingly titled, "U.S. Debate on Pullout Resonates
> as Troops Engage Sunnis in Talks." After describing how Mr.
> Abd-Muhammed had "watch[ed] recent television reports with his family
> showing Americans waving banners that read 'Stop the war in Iraq,'"
> the Post quoted him again: "I salute the American people because we
> know after watching them on satellite that they are ready to leave."
>
> Senator Edward Kennedy was right in the thick of things too,
> condemning the presumed "scandal" of our military paying for newspaper
> stories. "The Pentagon's devious scheme to place favorable propaganda
> in Iraqi newspapers speaks volumes about the President's credibility
> gap," the Senator declared. "If Americans were truly welcomed in Iraq
> as liberators, we wouldn't have to doctor the news for the Iraqi
> people."
>
> Let's get a few things straight. The Sunni are unhappy we are in Iraq.
> The Shiites, a 60 percent majority, are generally glad we came. The
> Kurds, a persecuted minority in the north, think we're the greatest
> people on earth.
>
> Why is this so? Maybe it's time for a little historical background.
>
> The Muslim world is divided into two main sects, the Sunni and the
> Shiites. The Sunni are a kind of aristocracy, claiming to be the
> original followers of the Prophet. The Shia are a breakaway
> Iraq's Shiites-has endorsed a endorsed a secular state, urged his
> followers to practice non-violence, and even criticized America for
> not making the system democratic enough. These endorsements came
> despite his unfamiliarity with politics. That's why many have argued
> that if the Nobel Peace Prize were really given to peacemakers,
> Sistani would have won in 2005, a year in which he was nominated.
>
> The Baathist holdouts are a desperate and fanatical lot, ready to die
> before submitting to minority status. Worse, they are ready to kill
> any Sunni who shows signs of compromise. It is an old
> the other extreme. The Communists were experts at this: The Viet Cong
> always made a point of assassinating South Vietnamese village
> officials.
>
> "So aren't we just in another Vietnam?" you may argue. But there are
> differences. Vietnam was a peasant country that had been arbitrarily
> split in half. Although most South Vietnamese wanted peace, our only
> true supporters were the thin Westernized elite. In Iraq, we are on
> the side of the majority.
>
> In truth, the Sunnis are skilled and educated enough to hold their own
> Zaqarwi and his al-Qaeda brigades-who are determined to rule through
> violence.
>
> It will take patience to get through this. But the December 15
> election should be another step on the path to stability.
Yes, let's try reality.
Iraq is breaking into anarchy, with illelgal death squads and militias
performing a type of ethnic cleansing, the Shiites v the Sunnis.
The ONLY way that country can be salvaged is through a large scale
international peace keeping force.
But Bush will have to leave the international stage before that ever
occurs.
So they are either trying to save face, or they truely are nuts, God
help us.
Joseph Welch
"Captain Compassion" <dar...@NOSPAMverizon.net> wrote in message
news:qnibp1t7mo8ql0e8g...@4ax.com...
> President Bush's war critics have made a remarkable discovery-some
> people in Iraq want us to leave!
Not "some people" - MOST people.
--
JW
***************
"You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have
you left no sense of decency?"
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/welch-mccarthy.html
Susierenee
JW
***************
"You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?
Have
you left no sense of decency?"
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/welch-mccarthy.html
I'd forgotten about this quote -- thank you for using it. And I have to
ask: are you related to that Welch?
+Jeri
Malto
"Captain Compassion" <dar...@NOSPAMverizon.net> wrote in message
news:qnibp1t7mo8ql0e8g...@4ax.com...
Good idea...is this "real" enough for you, little man?
Baghdad Police Academy Attacked; 43 Dead
Tuesday December 6, 2005 8:16 PM
AP Photo BAG105
By SAMEER N. YACOUB
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Two suicide bombers detonated explosives inside
Baghdad's main police academy Tuesday, killing at least 43 people and
wounding more than 70, police said. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility
for the attack, the capital's deadliest in months.
The bombing came as Al-Jazeera aired an insurgent video claiming to have
kidnapped a U.S. security consultant - the seventh Westerner abducted in
Iraq since Nov. 26 - and the U.S. military reported another American soldier
killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad.
The assault on the police academy was carefully planned to maximize
casualties, all of whom were police officers or cadets.
The first bomber struck near a group of students outside a classroom, a U.S.
military statement said.
Thinking they were under mortar fire, survivors rushed to a bunker ``where
the second bomber detonated his vest,'' the statement added. One of the
wounded was an American contractor.
A statement on an Islamist Web site in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq said
``two blessed brothers'' staged the attack on the academy ``which continues
to produce the dogs that shed the blood and violate the honor of Sunni
Muslims.''
The claim's authenticity could not be independently verified, but al-Qaida
in Iraq's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has often denounced Shiites because
of religious differences and their leading role in the U.S.-backed
government.
Iraqi police also said the attackers may have been policemen or students,
fresh evidence that insurgents have infiltrated the country's security
forces. President Bush has linked an eventual U.S. troop withdrawal to the
ability of Iraq's army and police to combat the insurgents.
The attack was the deadliest against security Iraqi forces since Feb. 28,
when a suicide car bomber struck a crowd of mostly Shiite police and army
recruits in Hillah, killing 125. In September, at least 88 people were
killed in a suicide car bombing in a heavily Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned of an increase in insurgent attacks
ahead of the Dec. 15 elections. Residents of Ramadi reported seeing fliers
Tuesday in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq warning people not to vote and
threatening to bomb polling stations.
First reports said two women had attacked the police academy, but the report
was later retracted. Officials said the report was based on the fact that
two women had been allowed inside the compound without a body search because
no female officers were available to perform it.
``We were sitting in the yard when we heard an explosion,'' said police Maj.
Wisam al-Heyali. ``Seconds later, we were hit by another explosion as we
were running. I saw some of my colleagues falling down and I felt my hand
hit, but I kept on running.''
Police Capt. Jalil Abdul-Qadir said 43 people were killed, including seven
policewomen, and at least 73 were wounded. U.S. forces placed the death toll
at least 27.
Also Tuesday, the U.S. military said a soldier assigned to Task Force
Baghdad was killed when a patrol hit a roadside bomb Sunday. At least 2,129
members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war,
according to an Associated Press count.
The video broadcast on Al-Jazeera showed a blond, Western-looking man
sitting with his hands tied behind his back. The video also bore the logo of
the Islamic Army in Iraq, an insurgent group, and showed a U.S. passport and
an Arabic identification card with the name Ronald Schulz. The spelling of
the name was uncertain because it was written in Arabic.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Liz Colton said U.S. authorities were aware of the
Al-Jazeera report and were investigating.
The authenticity of the video could not be immediately confirmed.
If true, the man would be the second American taken hostage in the last two
weeks. A U.S. citizen was among four peace activists taken hostage Nov. 26
by a group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness. Two Canadians and a
Briton were also seized.
On Tuesday, Bush said the United States will work for the return of captive
Americans in Iraq but would not submit to terrorist tactics. ``We, of
course, don't pay ransom for any hostages,'' Bush said.
``What we will do, of course, is use our intelligence-gathering to see if we
can't help locate them,'' Bush said.
A French engineer was taken hostage in Baghdad on Monday and a German aid
worker was abducted near Mosul on Nov. 26.
Police Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi said authorities had no he didn't have any
additional information Tuesday about the kidnapping of the French engineer,
Bernard Planche, but that the Interior Ministry had distributed his photo to
checkpoints around Baghdad.
There is no evidence the kidnappings were coordinated, and those responsible
for abducting the German aid worker and four Christian peace activists claim
to represent different groups. But the incidents seemed timed to coincide
with Saddam Hussein's trial or the Dec. 15 elections.
Christian Peacemaker Teams appealed to the kidnappers to release the four
activists.
``As you can see by the statements of support from our friends in Iraq and
all over the world, we work for those who are oppressed,'' the group said.
``We also condemn our own governments for their actions in Iraq.''
Also Tuesday, the Marines updated their report on the deaths of 10 Marines
on Dec. 1.
The statement said the Marines from Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine
Regiment, were not on a foot patrol, as previously reported, but were in an
abandoned flour mill when they were killed by an explosion. The troops used
the mill as a temporary patrol base.
The statement said the Marines had gathered in the mill for a promotion
ceremony. The military suspects one of the Marines triggered a booby trap,
causing the explosion, the statement said.
``Explosive experts believe four artillery shells were buried in two
separate locations,'' it read.
eldorado
>
> "Captain Compassion" <dar...@NOSPAMverizon.net> wrote in message
> news:qnibp1t7mo8ql0e8g...@4ax.com...
>> Let's Try Realism in Iraq
>
He didn't want true realism - he wanted the realism of his little fantasy
world.
--
Randomly generated signature --
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares, how come you say it like you're right? - Conor Oberst
Joseph Welch
"Susierenee" <prj...@clear.net.nz> wrote in message
news:1133896582.7...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Distantly, yes.