And the answer = Iran
I think the U.S. is trying to let the Iraqi government take more responsibility for the situation.
They don't seem to be stepping up very much just yet.
I agree, 50MT. And we've all heard the same crap about Arafat -- that killing him will "make him a martyr" and create a far worse situation. This is nonsense, of course. Brutal force is the only language Islamists are capable of comprehending, and serves to dissuade them if anything. Negotiating with them results in the exact opposite effect, of course. This incessant worry about upsetting the "Arab street" is getting pathological........and costly.
The longer he's a jihadi magnet, the more jihadis who line up in plain sight for us to kill them.
Israel used that tactic against the Hamas leadership a few months ago to great success.
Holy is as Holy does. When those who proclaim sites to be holy, use them as havens of rest and fortresses for terror warriors. Only their foes with holes in their heads will continue to hold back the total destruction of the alleged Holy place.
It is past time that this so called holy place, gets turned into the mother of all holes in the ground.
My opinion.
That said, two things are apparent:
1. If a warlord is allowed to gain political power, or to gain power to influence events, at gunpoint, then a democracy cannot exist. Negotiation with warlords only gives them an undeserved legitimacy.
2. Martyrs still have one thing in common...they are all dead. Since al Sadyr and those of his ilk obviously fear death and defeat (proven by their complete absence from the field of combat, and their willingness to "negotiate" when they feel the noose tightening), that fear should be encouraged by making it a VERY real and immediate possibility.
3. If opposing political parties and groups form in Iraq, that is a good thing and in keeping with free expression and democratic ideals. However, armed insurrection and wanton killing ARE NOT legitimate forms of dissent, and should be crushed immediately. in Iraq's current state, these "militia" groups and warlords can do NO good. They act only to seize power.
I do trust that our government, and that of Iraq, know these things. Al Sadr and his minions will soon exhaust their patience. President Allawi will probably soon give assent to the liquidation of al Sadr. He cannot allow such a challenge to the new government to stand, religion, "holy sites", or no.
The last time we really did this was in Grenada, and the time before that was in WWII!
If Israel had ever been allowed to completely defeat the enemy, the middle east would be a much different place today. Imagine what things might be like today if the USSR hadn't pressured the US and UN to force Israel to stop when they were just 50 miles from both Damascus and Cairo!
We need to give them an ultimatum, and if they don't evacuate the mosque, have the Iraqi troops reduce it to rubble. And if they don't, drop a single daisy cutter on the minneratte.
Mark