Jack Kelly argues that to succeed in Iraq we must take out Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi army. Kelly notes that, following our failure to take Sadr out in 2004 (apparently on the theory that he wasn’t a major player), he has become “the most powerful figure in Iraq, eclipsing the more-or-less moderate Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani” and one with ties to Iran.
I agree that we made a major mistake by not finishing off Sadr in 2004. And it may be that we should correct that mistake, although the cost of doing so would be much greater now. But I wonder whether bringing down a given milita and/or its leader would make much difference at this point. My understanding is that the Shia militias exist mainly to inflict harm upon, and do battle with, the Sunnis. Given the “demand” for such units, it’s questionable whether we can cut off the supply.
-
-
Most Read on Power Line
Donate to PL
-
Our Favorites
- American Greatness
- American Mind
- American Story
- American Thinker
- Aspen beat
- Babylon Bee
- Belmont Club
- Churchill Project
- Claremont Institute
- Daily Torch
- Federalist
- Gatestone Institute
- Hollywood in Toto
- Hoover Institution
- Hot Air
- Hugh Hewitt
- InstaPundit
- Jewish World Review
- Law & Liberty
- Legal Insurrection
- Liberty Daily
- Lileks
- Lucianne
- Michael Ramirez Cartoons
- Michelle Malkin
- Pipeline
- RealClearPolitics
- Ricochet
- Steyn Online
- Tim Blair
Media
Subscribe to Power Line by Email
Temporarily disabled
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.