Shiite leader [Al-Hakim] calls for Iraq to hit law-breakers with an 'ron fist' [sic]

CNEWS ^ | 1/11/07

[bnelson44]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The country’s most powerful Shiite politician issued strong backing Thursday for the Iraqi government’s new Baghdad security plan, calling for it to “strike with an iron fist” and indirectly urging the militia of a radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disarm.

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, who heads the 130-strong Shiite bloc in parliament, spoke just hours after President Bush announced his new strategy to quell violence in the Iraqi capital, including an additional 21,500 American for Baghdad and the western Anbar province.

Al-Hakim’s backing for the new security drive was crucial if the government and U.S. forces were to succeed in what could be a last attempt to curb the sectarian bloodshed that threatens to push the capital deeper into civil war.

[IrishMike]

The country’s most powerful Shiite politician issued strong backing Thursday for the Iraqi government’s new Baghdad security plan, calling for it to “strike with an iron fist” and indirectly urging the militia of a radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disarm.
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Things are getting very interesting.

[brooklyn dave]

Yup this is interesting. BTW, how come we really don't hear about Al-Hakim in the news? We hear about Mookie, but not this guy.

[domenad]

Who's Ron? Can he hit pretty hard, because we need him.

[Cap Huff]

FYI

[P-Marlowe]

...indirectly urging the militia of a radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disarm.

We need to pry those weapons from their cold dead hands.

[jmc1969]

Because, al-Hakim's militia kills Sunni insurgents, Sadr's militia kills Sunni civilians and US troops.

[Red Badger]

Ronald Reagan.....

[eyespysomething]

No, it's A ron fist. Like a roundhouse kick, but with your arm. ;-)

[IrishMike]

.....One wanted to be in the news,
maybe MOOKIE wants to have Sistani's clout (he's getting long in the tooth), but he and al-Hakim seem to shy away from the anti American, anti Iraq government stance.

[Billthedrill]

You can't say Mookie hasn't gotten every last chance to knock this crap off. Will his Iranian handlers allow it? And will that portion of his troops who aren't, in fact, his at all get caught enough to drag the boss in anyway?

Mookie's real problem is that all of a sudden it's gone from militarily and politically disadvantageous to engage him to highly advantageous for nearly all of the major players. An infantry battle through Sadr City is likely to be a very nasty affair, and if it's nastier to allow him to stay in place then he has only himself - and, of course, the Iranians - to blame.

[Valin]

That goes without saying. the problem he has is Sistani has a large number of Imams that he's taught.
Little "MOOKIE" has...issues. Saddam killed his father, and no one did anything to stop it, or to protest it. now he's out to get his revenge on the world.

For more you might want to get
The Foreigner's Gift: The Americans, the Arabs, and the Iraqis in Iraq (Hardcover)
by Fouad Ajami
http://www.amazon.com/Foreigners-Gift-Americans-Arabs-Iraqis/dp/074323667X/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt/102-7292122-9620114

Book Description
The fall of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime brought the first glimpse of freedom for Iraq and unleashed elation, resentment, and chaos. On the one hand, there is hope: the Iraqi people have their first chance at independence. On the other hand, there is despair: the country is exploding with violent sectarian and political power struggles. Through it all, Iraq has remained an enigma to much of the world. What is it about this country that makes for such a seemingly intractable situation? How did Iraq's particular history lead to its present circumstances? And what can we fear or hope for in the coming years?
Fouad Ajami, one of the world's foremost authorities on Middle Eastern politics, offers a brilliant, illuminating, and lyrical portrait of the ongoing struggle for Iraq and of the American encounter with that volatile Arab land. Ajami situates the current unrest within the context of Iraq's recent history of dictatorship and its rich, diverse cultural heritage. He applies his incisive political commentary, his broad and deep historical view, his mastery of the Arabic language and Arabic sources, and his lustrous prose to every aspect of his subject, wresting a coherent, fascinating, and textured picture from the media storm of fragmented information.

In the few years after the Iraq war began, Ajami made many trips to that country and met Iraqis of all ethnicities, religions, politics, and regions. Looking beneath the familiar media images of Iraq and the war, Ajami visits with individuals representing the breadth of Iraq's populace, from Sunni leaders and Shia clerics to Kurdish politicians and poets, Iraqi policemen, and ordinary people voting for the first time in their lives. He also hears from American soldiers on the ground, and the result of all his encounters is an astonishing portrayal of a land that has emerged as a crucial battleground between American power and the wider forces of Arab religious and political extremism.

With his unrivaled access -- he has been granted an audience with the great, reclusive Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and been admitted into the sacred shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf for a discussion with its religious scholars -- Ajami provides an intimate portrait that draws on both his learning and his lifelong interest in the traditions and the history of Iraq. With his commentator's eye, his scholarly depth of understanding, his poetic ear, and his abiding love for the Middle East, Fouad Ajami is an essential voice for our times. The Foreigner's Gift is the book we all need to read in order to understand what is happening in Iraq today and what the future might hold for all of us.

---

A good book, if for no other reason than it gives you a look at the "Players" in the new Iraq.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the ping and the post. Posted this from the BBC...features Condi Rice and details on the Irbil raid by our troops and Helicopters landing on the roof of the Iranina consulate in Irbil:

US to target anti-Iraq activity

[bnelson44]

Hopefully, this is only the beginning.

[KeyLargo]

Poll to freep

Did Bush's speech last night convince you it is essential to send more troops to Iraq?
Choice Votes Percentage of 33 Votes
Yes 7 21%
No 26 79%
Thanks for sharing your opinion -- check back here for results later, or check them by watching NBC5's 6 p.m. news.

http://www.nbc5.com/index.html

Scroll down right side of page.

[bnelson44]

I would be very surprised if the speech last night convinced anyone of anything. It was not a very good speech. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully, today's speech in front of the troops will be better.

[manic4organic]

I hope Ron takes the glove off his fist.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

We're doing better in the poll:

*******************************

Votes

Percentage of 82 Votes
Yes	37	45%
No	45	55%

[SQUID]

ron must be a bad ass.

[Frohickey]

Did Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim say this in Arabic to a mostly Muslim crowd, or did he say it in broken English to western politicians?