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Complicating The Simple

By Lt Col P

“Close Adviser to Sadr Dies in US-Iraqi Raid,” reads the headline. A more accurate statement would be, “Was Killed in US-Iraqi Raid,” but we’ll leave it alone. It’s the last sentence of the first paragraph that gets me, describing the incident as “complicating an already tense relationship with the powerful anti-American leader.”

How exactly does it complicate things? I’d agree that it makes things uglier, but then again this baby is fairly ugly now and it’s not getting prettier on its own. On the contrary, I think it makes things less complicated, because it clarifies a position that needs to be crystal clear in order to be addressed.

Describing the U.S.-Iraqi government relationship with Muqtada al-Sadr abu-Fatty as “tense” is understating the obvious—he hates us. He’s about 99% of the problem and somewhat less than 1% of the solution. His Shi’ite “party” might command a sizable bloc of parliament, but it also represents a giant leap backward for Iraq, something that country (and ours) can ill-afford. If you could look up his size XXXL man-dress (not that you’d want to) you’d see an Iranian arm shoved up his ass working the levers of his mouth. He is an enemy, and should be treated like one. If his current position gives him a measure of immunity, then we can certainly target his lieutenants.

This operation is actually a tailor-made opportunity to score an IO point, a variation on the timeless theme we should be hammering away on—we can be your worst enemy or your best friend. Down one path is violence and discord; down the other past is stability and prosperity. Extremists and troublemakers get targeted; moderates and dedicated statesmen get supported. It’s that simple.

December 29, 2006 05:26 AM The Long War