One Toke Over the Line

I'm no Middle East expert. I'm no big fan of Iran. I have no idea what the American "mission" in Iraq is. I don't believe it has anything to do with 9/11 or al-Qaeda. I did not understand why we invaded Iraq and our military actions in that country have been increasingly incomprehensible to me, ever since. I know many think that Bush and Cheney have been making the right decisions during the wars of the last six years. They seem like deranged and depraved mad men to me.

Following Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's lead into the siege of Basra to confront the Mehdi Army, seems like the most deranged and depraved act yet. Coalition forces have buttoned up a city of 1.5 million people. No food, no water, no sanitation, no electricity, inadequate facilities for the treatment of the sick, injured and wounded. Prime Minister Maliki claims to have now brought in 55,000 men. The Americans have provided additional snipers and armored units. So far the British and Americans have sortied helicopters, jets and a C-130 gunship into Basra. The coalition claims few if any civilians have been harmed. The Sadrists claim hundreds killed and thousands injured. No reliable figures have been released. International relief agencies have not been allowed in the city. There is no press on the scene. There will be a reliable body count at some point. The real story of what is happening there will emerge. It's too big of a city and too many people are watching for that not to be the case.

Fighting has broken out in cities all over Southern Iraq. Each of these cities will have their own body count. The Shiite areas of Baghdad may be worse than Basra. There are more Sadrist sympathizers there than anyplace else in Iraq. The butchers bill there will be enormous.

I think this has already gone on too long and too far for Maliki to win any kind of decisive victory. He is going to have to negotiate some kind of settlement. It will be a while before that happens. I'm not sure who he would have to negotiate it with. The Iranians, the Fadhila, the Mehdis, even the Sunnis, all want a truce. Maliki claims he is only targeting thugs, gangs and criminals and nobody involved is claiming that mantle.