Oh, Right, There’s That Whole ‘War’ Thing

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Oh, Right, There’s That Whole ‘War’ Thing

AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani

Members of the Mahdi Army stake out a road in Basra on Saturday.

OK, John McCain, still “fine” with the U.S. staying in Iraq for another 100 years? And as for the Democratic presidential hopefuls, how does the whole troop withdrawal scenario change in light of the outbreak of heavy fighting in Basra this week? These are just a couple of the questions that couldn’t be more timely—or pressing—on the campaign trail this weekend.

The New York Times:

Mr. McCain, of Arizona, said he was encouraged that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s government had sent its troops to reclaim Basra from the Shiite militias.

“I think it’s a sign of the strength of his government,” Mr. McCain said Friday at a stop in Las Vegas. “I think it’s going to be a tough fight. We know that these militias are well entrenched there. I hope they will succeed and succeed quickly.”

The Democrats, who are calling for phased troop withdrawals, are beginning to point to the fighting in Basra as evidence that the American troop buildup has failed to provide stability and political reconciliation—particularly if the fighting leads one militia, the Mahdi Army, to pull out of its cease-fire; that could lead to a new spate of sectarian violence across the country. Some are saying the fighting strengthens their case for troop withdrawals.

But the McCain campaign is hoping to turn that argument on its head, asserting that the battle in Basra shows just how dangerous the situation on the ground in Iraq is. It says this bolsters Mr. McCain’s argument that a premature withdrawal of American troops would lead to more widespread violence, instability and perhaps even genocide.

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TAGS: al maliki al sadr barack obama basra campaign hillary clinton iraq war john mccain mehdi army militant offensive president

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By DennisD, March 30, 2008 at 1:47 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Yeh John, another 100 years of this to look forward to is just what we need.

It’s time to see nurse Ratchet for your medication. That’s a good boy. Swallow it all down and go sit by a window and watch the world go by.

Every time a politician opens his or her mouth they make the best case for term limits. On earth.

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By Mike, March 30, 2008 at 11:59 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Iraqis are at last taking responsibility for their country by fighting each other according to the Pentagon:
http://neoclassics.blogspot.com/

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By secretmojo, March 30, 2008 at 1:24 am Link to this comment

Americans quoted in this article: Barrack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Randy Scheunemann, Dennis B. Ross, “Campaign officials in both parties”, Clinton aides, Denis Mc Donough, Lee Feinstein, and Aaron Miller.

Iraqis quoted in this article: none.

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By Douglas Chalmers, March 29, 2008 at 8:56 pm Link to this comment

From The Tibet Card - By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich - West is punishing China for its reluctance to impose sanctions on Iran:-

China has always shown reluctance to impose sanctions on Iran. From an Israeli and American perspective, China became a veritable short-term liability (versus a long term power challenging the US) when Iran and China engaged in talks to allow for a military base for China in one of Iran’s Persian Gulf ports.

This was in response to Sarkozy making an announcement that France and the UAE were negotiating a deal in which France would have a small base in that region. Such a cooperation between Iran and China would make Iran less vulnerable to an attack by Israel and/or the United States.

Engaging China in a Tibet uprising, threatening the public image it has worked so hard to build around the world (China has far surpassed the United States in Public Diplomacy. During the G.W. Bush presidency, while the world watched in dismay an do-it-alone America that made a blunder at every turn, China, in spite of human rights issues that remain to be resolved, has won ‘hearts and minds’ in South America, Middle East, and Africa.

It is attempting to win over its regional neighbors by developing economic, political, and diplomatic relations, and exercising skillful diplomacy) would distract or dissuade it from building alliances with Iran. Iran must be kept isolated at all costs.

Tel-Aviv hopes that Cheney will push Bush to launch a military attack on Iran, just as he persuaded Bush to attack Iraq.

Given that the Iraq tactics are old, new ones have to be sought. As such, many experts suspect that a false flag operation would be required to launch an all out war.

In October 2006, when Anti-terrorism officials conducted a helicopter survey of New York City’s radiation sources in preparation for a so-called “dirty bomb” attack, they came across an unexpected radiation hot spot which has been kept out of the media as it is a political hot spot – A strong radiation spike from the area of the Israeli Embassy.

Officials would not comment on why they thought that particular area showed such a stunning peak in radiation. Can America afford another war? Will the world withstand another assault on humanity? http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19626.htm

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By How Insane Is John McCain?, March 29, 2008 at 5:35 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

only crazier.

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