Where Sadr Calls Home(Michael A. Ledeen)

American Enterprise Institute ^ | February 14, 2007 | Michael A. Ledeen

[kellynla]

The wonderful Tom Joscelyn noticed that al Qaeda’s putative No. 2, Ayman al Zawahiri, has called on all Muslims (not just all Sunnis) to unite behind al Qaeda and specifically behind Mullah Omar, the grotesque chief of the Taliban. It is indeed noteworthy, for at least two reasons. First of all, it goes hand in hand with the calls for Muslim unity issued by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the eve of the Hadj and on subsequent occasions. Second, as Allahpundit muses, one could infer from this that Osama is no longer around, which I have believed for some time. After all, we haven’t seen a video of The Tall One for more than two years. I rather suspect that al Qaeda ceased to exist after we liberated Afghanistan, and that, ever since, these unsavory characters have been under more or less effective control by their Iranian hosts.

[nuconvert]

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[TheHound]

What an interesting article. Shia Iran has taken over Sunni al Qaeda, that must just piss the Sunni Wahabists off. If the liberals just had the fortitude to see this thing through, the outcome would likely be excellent for the world. But Alas.

[Thebaddog]

Do ya think that W might just win this last one?

[kellynla]

I believe that whether it be this decade or this century; we are gonna have to give the muslims the jihad they so badly want...and this time, we will finish the job.

[denydenydeny]

Bump. Typically interesting Ledeen, with something I haven't heard suggested before:

It would be really great if somebody found where Khamenei and the other oligarchs have stashed their private loot (I think a lot of it is in China, by the way).

[BARLF]

mark

[drellberg]

I look to Ledeen for insights that no one else writing on the Middle East can offer. The one thing I do not understand about Ledeen is his signature line, 'faster, please.' It never seems to follow logically from the text. I read his work and often think, this is a war of attrition. What we need is to be relentless but patient. The mullahs are arrogant and overextended. Let's keep up the body blows and wait for them to do themselves in. Personally, I think this is the President's strategy, one that works but is politically incorrect ... fight this war opportunistically and relentlessly. If Iraq's president is too stupid to allow rules of engagement that would allow our soldiers to pacify Baghdad, oh well, we'll go elsewhere to kill the terrorists at a rate of 3000+ per month just in Iraq. Over 5 years that adds up, especially when you then add in Afghanistan, Somalia, Palestinian territories, Israelis killing Hezbullah, ...

Eventually, the Iraqi president will come around, and yup, finally he has.

The interesting thing I find as an Iraq news junkie is that in the past few weeks have seen a marked turnaround in our fortunes and in our hopes. You see it here in this article, for example. Ledeen is never ever optimistic. And yet here he just can't help himself. It's not the central theme of the article, but then again, it's there and it's clear.

The tide is turning, and turning abruptly. Iran is beginning to implode, and I suspect that once the cracks really begin to appear it will only be a short while before the entire foundation falls.