Cut and ran. [UPDATED]
...these things happen, when you have a strong horse, and a weak horse.
By Moe Lane Posted in Contra Tyrannum — Comments (27) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
ABC News is cruel, in its way:
Feb. 13, 2007 — While members of the U.S. House of Representatives take turns weighing in on President Bush's planned troop surge in Iraq, the focus in Iraq is not on the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.
According to senior military officials, al Sadr left Baghdad two to three weeks ago and fled to Tehran, Iran, where he has family.
Al Sadr commands the Mahdi army, one of the most formidable insurgent militias in Iraq, and his move coincides with the announced U.S. troop surge in Baghdad.
But then, the media never really loved the progressives all that much anyway. Or, at least, loved them as a dainty morsel to grow fat on.
Read on.
See Instapundit, Captain Ed, Gateway Pundit, Powerline and our own Constant Reader Mason Conservative for the details. There's some faint suggestion that he might want to try and come back - which, by the way, would be a very silly thing for the man to do; counter-terrorism agencies recognize no mulligans - but failing that Sadr's just done the second-best thing that he could for the Iraqi people*.
It hardly needs saying that this is good news, which means of course that we're probably going to see all sorts of fevered variations on the theme of This Is The Worst Thing That Could Have Happened To Us Ever And We're All Doomed (with counterpoint of We Hates George Bush, We Does**) coming from the Usual Suspects. It should actually be a bit of a snap for them, given that they've already managed to ignore existing contradictions in their particular theology (said he, with malice aforethought). Of course, whether or not these are successful fevered variations / counterpoints isn't precisely up to them. It's already being reported that al-Sadr fled because we made him flee... and if AP's saying that, well, good luck on that frame, guys.
Oh, and just before all of this went down? House Democrats decided to shut down debate on their anti-surge political masturbation nonbinding resolution political masturbation - and Senator Harry Reid abandoned an already-dated Warner/Levin in favor of the House version.
(pause)
Do I dare say it? I was burned rather badly on the election, after all.
(pause)
I do! I do!
Oops.
Moe Lane
*No, shooting himself would be third-best. Turning himself in and spilling the beans on his activities would have been best.
**Why that? Because it's a yoga. Which, to quote Spider Robinson, means "There is no rational reason why."
UPDATE (by Dan McLaughlin): Note to lefty bloggers: yesterday's talking points about how there could not possibly be a connection between Iran and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army have been rendered inoperative. Update accordingly.
[Another UPDATE]: His guys are now claiming that Sadr's been in Iraq all along, so there. I'm with Captain Ed (see QC link above): this is easy enough to prove. Throw a live press conference in Najaf.
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Cut and ran. [UPDATED] 27 Comments (0 topical, 27 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
The top cow puncher is getting the cows to head to the corral. Who would have thought, Sadr is an Iranian puppet.
and her "real" motives for needing that plane that can fly further... lets hope SHE packs up half of congress and moves too.
Well done is better than well said. —Benjamin Franklin
...brings peace to Bahgdad, which would be a great start.
...and throw a party because Al-Sadr is now... alive... in Iraq?
We sent 21,500 troops to have him sipping on ice tea a country away?
It's a step and we'll see if anything changes.
Like I said, I'm glad he's gone, but I wouldn't suggest getting the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner out of mothballs just yet.
"BAGHDAD, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is still in Iraq and has not left for Iran, several of his aides said on Wednesday, after American officials suggested he may have departed to avoid an offensive against militants.
The conflicting reports over the anti-American cleric's whereabouts came after Iraq said on Tuesday it would close its borders with Iran and Syria and lengthen a night curfew in Baghdad to try to curb unrelenting violence in the capital."
Who knows what's true at this point, which is all the more reason to tell the President to get out of the jumpsuit.
As has been pointed out it would be more impressive if he said it. Not his aides.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Either GMTA or steal from the best.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
...this seems to be wait and see, but regardless of whether he's still in Iraq or now in Iran, I doubt we've reached "surge successful" or "surge disaster" point.
You may have to take liberal out of your name.
The puritans were once characterized as people that spent their lives worrying that somewhere someplace somebody was happy. You seem to have the same obsession.
Maybe Rational puritan liberal ?
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I do worry that somewhere, someplace someone is being smug.
So maybe I'll go to Rational Other-Satisfied Liberal.
How do you work around the reflexive aspect ?
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Then Narcissus
________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
And no, I don't mean by comparing them to ARL. :)
Anyway, those guys were pretty radical, particularly when it came to opposing slavery and anti-Semitism. Not my first choice for going drinking, mind you - but they had their moments.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
But man could they go nuts over nothing.I read a puritans diary where in his dieing days he was still trying to prove he hadn't overcharged for nails.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
We are getting good, positive results form the new direction even before we have any new troops online. And yet there are still some who fail to acknowledge just how bad Rumsfeld's leadership was.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
It was as usual about whose scalp they could take. Joseph Reed is still with us
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I find the fact that we have to relearn this every age maddening!
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem." - President Ronald Reagan
he only went to Iran for a dental appointment.
"You never need a firearm,until you need it BADLY!"
For the surge before we were against it before we were for it.
If I can afford it I want a wheathervane as sensitive as congress.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777