You can feel the utter joy coming from the writers at the NYT’s and the tabloid newspaper, Mclatchy, on their reporting of Iraq today. Joy at maybe, just maybe!, the Surge will fail and they can go back to blaming Bush. First, take a look at this doozy of a headline by Mclatchy, written by Leila Fadel and Ali al Basri:
“Battles Wrack Basra, Threatening Success of U.S. Surge.”
Please.
The Times at least put a few opposing voices into their article:
“Maliki Gives Shiite Militias 72 Hours to Halt Fighting”
But in the Times version they attempt to portray a few acts of violence in Baghdad as somehow connected to the attack in Basra. Makes for a better story you see.
This fight was a long time in coming since central-government control of the city has to be restored if the federal government is going to be successful. After the British pulled out of Basra the turf wars began between the Badr Brigades and the Sadr Mahdi Army. A gang war if you will. Sadr asked his Mahdi Army to stand down but they have refused, which is good. The sooner they are defeated the sooner its over, no way the gang can win this thing. Probably the reason Sadr told them to stand down. He understands they cannot win militarily….but thugs being thugs, they continue to fight and be killed.
Good on them.
The Sadrists can blame Maliki all they want. For a federal government to work there must be central government control. No smoke and mirrors and wink-wink baloney.
The fact of the matter is that those who hope we can leave Iraq soon should be praying that the American trained Iraqi troops perform well in this much needed operation. They succeed and we all have proof that they are one step closer to being able to defend their country by themselves.
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