Let there be no doubt... First, Al-Sadr and his followers, especially his armed ones, are vile. Second, we (the American Voter) is being LIED TO by the Administration. Not, when they tell us that Al-Sadr is vile, that is certainly true enough. But when they say that he is a rare and isolated individual of no real danger with a limited following and that Iraqi resistance is minor they are most definitely lying. But, as Salam Pax states, they are not rare at all: Remember the days when every time you hear an Iraqi talk on TV you had to remember that they are talking with a Mukhabarat minder looking at them noting every word? We are back to that place. You have to be careful about what you say about al-Sadir. Their hands reach every where and you don't want to be on their shit list. Every body, even the GC is very careful how they formulate their sentences and how they describe Sadir's Militias. They are thugs, thugs thugs. There you have it. Oh, and when the Administration talks about how much the Iraqi's aspire to Democracy, that too is well...a lie. The same ABC poll in which 85 percent of Iraqis ranked the return of security as a top concern reported that a plurality of 47 percent think the country needs to be governed by a "single strong Iraqi leader" in the next year. (By contrast, just 28 percent opted for democracy.) Those figures are surely related: Handing over power to as-yet-undetermined leaders in three months is a blueprint for instability, and Iraqis know it. Look at the facts on the ground and then think back to history. No, not to Vietnam, but to Iraqi history. In 1919, the British occupied Iraq and were hailed as liberators. Within a few months the Sunni and the Shiia managed to unite for one of the few times in history and attacked the occupier. After thousands of deaths the British effectively withdrew from day-to-day control over Iraq. In 2004, while the Sunni Triangle was assaulted, Shiia in areas around Baghdad attacked American troops in support of the Sunni. Further, attacks raged in Southern (Shiia Iraq) including British occupied Basra. The uniting may have begun. UPDATE: Riverbend provides more evidence: This is crazy. This is supposed to be punishment for violence but it's only going to result in more bloodshed on both sides… people are outraged everywhere- Sunnis and Shi'a alike. This constant bombing is only going to make things worse for everyone. Why do Americans think that people in Baghdad or the south or north aren’t going care what happens in Falloojeh or Ramadi or Nassriyah or Najaf? Would Americans in New York disregard bombing and killing in California? ... Our foreign minister Hoshyar Zibari was being interviewed by some British journalist yesterday, making excuses for Tony Blair and commending him on the war. At one point someone asked him about the current situation in Iraq. He mumbled something about how there were 'problems' but it wasn't a big deal because Iraq was 'stable'… what Iraq is he living in? And as I blog this, all the mosques, Sunni and Shi’a alike, are calling for Jihad... Christ on a Cracker....I mean, Mohammad on a ... um... Melbatoast...this looks bad.