Time has always had a soft spot for Moqtada. Now it seems their blindness for him is boundless:
Shi’ite militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr stepped back into Iraq’s political fray Friday with an offer that (if genuine) Washington would be hard-pressed to refuse: Set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and the Mahdi Army will begin to disband. “The main reason for the armed resistance is the American military presence,” said Sadr emissary Salah al-Ubaidi, who spoke to reporters in Najaf Friday. “If the American military begins to withdrawal, there will be no need for these armed groups.”
Geez. “Hard-pressed to refuse.” If Sadr couldn’t force us out when he was somewhat strong, how are we hard-pressed to refuse him now that he is weak?
It should be perfectly obvious what Sadr is doing. The United States is already negotiating with Iraq the future of U.S. forces in their country. Reports say that the agreement is likely to set a goal of removing U.S. troops by 2013, subject to continued progress in security. Sadr is positioning himself to take credit for that agreement when it is concluded.
ASIDE: By the way, the British are the ones who make deals with Sadr, not us.
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