From what I’ve read, many Iraqis living in the red zone think its 100% irrelevant.

Many are upset by of the `Persian taint’ that pervades the Iraqi Parliament.

Massing writes (NYRB, Embedded in Iraq):

The SIIC, the main government party, was founded in Iran and remains so close to Tehran that many Iraqis shun it for having a “Persian taint.” Iran is erecting mosques and power plants in the Shiite south and investing heavily in construction and communications in the Kurdish north. “The only one winning here is Iran,” an Iraqi journalist observed. “And they’re losing zero people.”

MIL: My grandfather and my 9 yrar old brother were both killed your soldiers which counts I suppose as ethnic cleansing too. Cleansing Irak of Irakis.

That’s horrible.

I cannot even imagine what that would be like.

I look forward to the day when all the war criminals are hauled into the dock at Den Haage.

Please note: They are not my soldiers. And thus, please consider distinguishing everyday Americans from the Americans in the current US government. Collective punishment, collective assigning of guilt, etc are dangerous to the mass majority of us who are `good people’.

Ian Welsh: It’s one of those things: overthrow Saddamn in the first war, or don’t.

No.

No such dilemma existed if you look into the past.

Remember …

With the support of the US, Saddam Hussein was keeping the pro-Ayatollah Khomeini religious fanatics in Iran and in Iraq in check.

At that time, the Bush I administration knew that there was nobody it could put in place of him.

That is the main reason why SH was not deposed.

(There is a Youtube interview of Cheney stating this ….)

As we all know, Bush II deposed SH.

Now, the very same religious fanatics that Bush I did not want in power are in power.

These pro-Ayatollah Khomeini religious fanatics are not pals, puppets, etc.

The US is being bled dry, killed with a death of a thousand cuts.

Iran is the victor and the one making the slices vis-a-vis al-Dawa and the SCIRI.

Homer: Al-Dawa is/was an ally of Hizbollah.

Mohammed Ibn Laith: To use your parlance bullshit.

Bullshit?

What you write does match the perceptions of al-Dawa from the 1980s to 2003-ish.

Like Suin to some degree, you seem to be writing w/o any regard to history.

Here’s a sampling … read it and weep as they say….

I ask Suin to forgive me for using the Western media (which is all that is referred to in the post).

Warships in Gulf Convoy. LAT, Oct 1, 1987.

Three pro-Iranian Shia Muslim organizations in Lebanon warned Tunisia
against executing seven fundamentalists convicted earlier this week of
trying to overthrow the government of President Habib Bourguiba. The
groups-Hezbollah (Party of God), the umbrella organization for those
holding Western hostages in Lebanon; the Daawa Party, a Hezbollah ally, and the Islamic Coalition-warned of a confrontation and a “sweeping storm” if the “unjust death sentences” are carried out.

‘Walk Free’ Prediction Gets Puzzled Reaction. San Francisco Chronicle.
Jul 15, 1987.

State Department officials indicated yesterday they were perplexed by
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North’s assertion that 17 men convicted in
Kuwait of bomb attacks on the U.S. and French embassies will eventually
“walk free.” …. The 17 are mainly Iraqi Shiites identified as members
of the underground Al-Daawa Party, which is pro-Iranian.

Bush warns Iraq on chemical arms U.S. fears use of weapons against
rebels. Chicago Tribune. March 10, 1991 [snip]

Jawad al-Maliki of the Dawa Party said in Damascus, Syria, that mustard
gas was used against protesters in al-Haleh, al-Kifil, Najaf and some
areas of Basra, in southeastern Iraq.

Precisely what is going on inside Iraq is difficult to determine since
Western reporters have been expelled. Most information is coming from
refugees and opposition leaders in Iran and Syria.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney described the situation as “volatile” but
said it appears Hussein will be able to keep the unrest in check for
now. The Iraqi leader is using his loyal Republican Guard to quell the
rebellion.

Leave it twenty years and while the Iraqis will teach their kids to hate Americans it honestly won’t be that bad. 40 years and it’ll be pretty decent, though with the occasional problems like Japan and the Chinese.

But the best policy is disengagement. Some reparations would be good too, but I’m pretty sure that won’t happen. War crimes trials are more possible than people think they are, I believe. Americans are going to be in a pretty ugly mood towards their political leaders pretty soon, and if Bush gets the blame for the economic collapse, he may find he has less security than he thinks.

Ironic isn’t it?

Yes. Almost as ironic as the US selling Saddam chemical, biological, and nuclear technology, and then invading Iraq based on Iraq’s supposed possession of same.
“What do you mean they don’t have WMD’s? We have the receipts!”

The other point – Ian can no doubt fill you in. Rebuilding Irak is going to take a helll of a lot of their oil. Ironic isn’t it?

good to ’see’ you. and mohammed. take care.

and like i already have said many times for a while now, you all are in my thoughts every single day.

nite (been propping my head up while typing this, gotta go)

almost forgot–thanks to whomever made the gg flickr page, i passed it around, great idea. they did a good job on it, even had the red crescent stuff, great.

This is not going to be a good summer.