[TexKat]

--They wouldn't have dared when Allawi was PM. Sadr and Hakim knew Allawi was gunning for their heads and was just looking for a reason.-- If worst comes to worst, Allawi would be my #1 choice to be installed as P.M. via coup d'etat. That dude kicks @$$, and looks like Tony Soprano.

Sadr's Men Hold Iraq Shrine in Defiance of Govt

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0821-02.htm

Iraq issues amnesty as US warns al-Sadr

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/08/1091903422134.html?from=storylhs

Ayatollah reaches peace deal with al-Sadr

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/26/iraq.main/index.html

Iraq ex-PM (Allawi) says survives assassination (by Sadr)

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1533829/posts

[jmc1969]

The media never reported what happened during the August standoff. With Sistani out of the country and on his death bed Allawi saw it as his chance to bring Sadr up on the murder charges that were still against him for killing a cleric in 2003. Some forces got into a firefight near Sadr's compound. He then fled with his militia to Najaf hoping the fact he was in the most holy site of Shia Islam would give him leverage and keep US and Iraqi troops from attacking.

The State Dept. was unhappy with Allawi's actions in going after Sadr without their say so. So the State Dept. basically allowed Sistani to call the shots from his hospital bed in London. Sistani via the State Dept. was the one who let Sadr walk. The White House was mortally afraid of the whole thing at this time and Card and others just wanted the Sadr uprising so close to election time to just go away and in such a way that it didn't cause the Shia community to explode.