Iraq War: I haven't been kidding about Bush changing sides

This is an important article by Gareth Porter Is U.S. Planning More Attacks on Shiite Militias? Inter Press Service 04/03/06. He explains here the current situation that is shaping up more and more as a confrontation between American-backed Kurdish Peshmerga militias and the elected Shi'a-dominated government. Technically, they still have formally formed a government since the December elections, but the Shi'a United Iraqi Alliance commands a majority in Parliament. Porter writes:

In a move evidently aimed at building popular support for a possible confrontation with the United States, ministers representing all three Shiite parties in the government united in denouncing the [US-backed Kurdish] raid [on a Shi'a "husseiniya" religious center]as a massacre. Even more significant, however, the "Shiite Islamist Alliance" has demanded the restoration of control over security matters to the Iraqi government.

That demand throws the spotlight on the continued de facto U.S. control over certain Iraqi military and military forces, in contrast to the formal independence of the Iraqi government and army and police. The Shiite leadership is now afraid that the United States plans to use that control to intervene in the sectarian political crisis of the country to reduce the power of the Shiites in the government [i.e., that the US will not be backing the Shi'a in the sectarian conflict as it has been previously].

The spokesman for the Dawa Party, Kuthair al-Khuzzaie, referred directly to that possibility, warning the U.S. in a Mar. 26 press conference that "a battle with the calm giant Shiite means they are falling into a dangerous swamp". (my emphasis)

This is war the Republican Party way. If you like the US to have wars and want to see them turn into messy and hopeless Lost Causes like this one, keep electing Republican Presidents. Maverick McCain will be glad to give you more of them.

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