I found an interesting article that tries to claim are success in destroying al-Qaeda has given rise to a new danger. Personally I find this line of reasoning ridiculous. It is the old tall poles challenge. When you attack the tall poles and remove these obstacles barring success to a challenge, you still face the […]

The defeat of Sadr, the Sadrist Movement and their thuggish Mahdi Militia continues apace today as massive numbers of gunmen turn themselves into authorities in Amarah, capitol city of Maysan Province along the Iranian border: Gunmen from different armed groups have begun to surrender to Iraqi government troops in the city of Amarah ahead of […]

Sadr and his Sadrists movement are in full retreat politically and militarily in Iraq as Maliki further strengthens the Iraqi government’s control of that country: Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s recent decisions show he is pursuing a twin strategy — trying to regain control of his militia and avoiding confrontation with the government. … But […]

Wow – even I did not predict Sadr’s debacle over the last few months was this bad.  I knew he was losing support among the Iraqis (see my previous post here).  But i suspected his recent surrendering to Maliki was an effort to stop the hemorrhaging and buy time to rebuild some credibility.  Apparently it is too […]

A couple of weeks ago Iraqi (Arab) Shiite-cleric-in-hiding (in Iraq with his Persian Shiite hosts) Moqtada al-Sadr called for weekly protests against the American “occupation”.  This was Sadr’s last gasp as Sadr City fell under Iraqi control and the Mahdi Militia were beaten back in their main stronghold in Sadr City.  This was only a […]

Reader Crosspatch (one of the most informed and observant people I have ever dealt with) noted events percolating in Iraq as the Iraqis are staging their forces for a crackdown and sweep of a city known to be a center for Iranian weapons smuggling into Iraq. Iraqi forces are said to be massing at the […]

The lust for political power can be all consuming. It can be so consuming some people are willing to sacrifice thousands of strangers in foreign lands to ugly and brutal deaths to obtain power here at home. It is amazing to what lengths and lies some will go for power. In politics the most common […]

I know others have posted on The New Republic article by Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank, which came out May 23rd, but I want to add this assessment on the decline of al-Qaeda to the list of other similar articles I have been highlighting this week. With one important additional angle – how this article […]

Yesterday I posted on many diverse articles that indicate a rapidly declining al-Qaeda as their credibility has been destroyed through their fascist efforts to violently oppress their fellow Muslims, resulting in innumerable stories of atrocities and the creation of Muslim heros in those who fought back against al-Qaeda.  Today we get another report on the […]

Addendum:  In the post below I note the war in Iraq is America’s war – not Bush’s war.  I reminded folks that Congress approved the action overwhelmingly (by much larger margins than Gulf War I) and Bush was reelected in a vote of confidence from Americans themselves.  I failed to note Congress has for each […]