Lebanon's Daily Star begins today's tale with an ominous headline:
Tensions spiral as attacks kill 37 people across Iraq
Not to be dismissive, but violence is nothing new. And things have been 'spiralling' for quite some time. How bad could it be, really?
Iraq's political leaders sparred on Wednesday . (a particularly apt phrase, as shown later--G) over a government order to lift US checkpoints around a militia stronghold as Baghdad was battered by a string of deadly mortar and bomb attacks that killed at least 37 people. US troops lifted roadblocks around the Shiite slum of Sadr City, bastion of the Mehdi Army militia, on Tuesday when Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered them out, flexing his political muscle after a week of public friction with Washington ahead of US elections.
Iraq's Sunni vice president slammed the move, saying it could spell an end to a lull in violence by sectarian death squads, which the once-dominant Sunni minority blames on hard-line Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army.
"I'm afraid that by lifting the siege the government sent the wrong message to those who stand behind terrorism in Iraq. It says the iron fist will loosen and they can move freely," said Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi.
For those keeping score at home. We have al-Sadr leading al-Maliki around by a leash, and al-Maliki in turn ordering US troops to abandon one of their own. Maybe we could just install al-Sadr as supreme commander of US troops in Iraq to cut down on bureaucracy.
And, of course, Sunnis are complaining more about the US soldier being abandoned than are Republicans in the United States. But they support the troops because, well, LOOK! John K*ryy said something awkward!! Why would Chewbacca want to live on Endor?
But, at least we have a viable political process where parties can exchange viewpoints and work out a solution to this. Right?
Frustration over poor turnout at Iraq's Parliament also flared, with Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani having to be physically restrained from attacking a lawmaker.
Say what?
In his earlier remarks to reporters, Mashhadani complained that lawmakers who failed to show up were delaying the ratification of a series of edicts reached by Shiite and Sunni religious figures in the holy city of Mecca last month that aims to stop sectarian bloodshed.
And what better way than to lead by example, right?
Mashhadani had been holding a nationally televised news conference when he lashed out at legislator Abdel-Karim al-Samaraie for alleged corruption and failure to attend sessions, calling him a "dog."
Samaraie, a member of the main Sunni parliamentary bloc, the Iraqi Accordance Front, responded by calling Mashhadani a false patriot. The speaker, who belongs to a rival Sunni group - the National Dialogue Council - then lunged at Samaraie, but was held back by bodyguards.
Mashhadani then moved on to the Parliament's main chamber, where he accosted other Sunni Accordance Front MPs, calling them "villains" and "dogs," and accusing them of colluding with Saddam Hussein's disbanded Baath Party.
That's right--a fisticuffs almost ensued in discussions over how to implement a call to end the civil war in Iraq.
Let's see here now:
Shiites pissed at Sunnis: check.
Sunnis pissed at Shiites: check.
Sunnis pissed at Sunnis: check.
Sunnis pissed at the United States: check.
Well, at least the Shiites aren't pissed at us any more, right?
Meanwhile, Iraq's state-funded television station said on Wednesday the US military had released a "terrorist" after he was captured by the Iraqi Army.
Iraqiyya television identified the man as Atta Hadi al-Zaidi and said he was responsible for sectarian violence and forcing people to move out of violence-prone Diyala Province.
A government source confirmed the release of Zaidi, a former army brigadier general under Saddam.
So, when Bush isn't alienating the Sunnis by caving to the Shiite militias, he's alienating the Shiites by granting freedom to Sunni terrorists.
George W. Bush: Appeasing terrorists on both sides of the Iraqi civil war.
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