Plenty of jostling behind the scenes as Pentagon insists showdown must go

Plenty of jostling behind the scenes as Pentagon insists showdown must go on

After a pause at the weekend for mass pilgrimages to the holy cities of Kerbala and Najaf, US authorities are again gearing up for a showdown with Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical young Shia cleric who sparked the seizure of police stations and government buildings in several cities last week.
The gunmen of his Mahdi army have withdrawn or been pushed out of most places except Kerbala and Najaf. The cleric is holed up in his office in Najaf, guarded by hundreds of armed followers.

Although some Shia politicians claim to have detected a softening of US attitudes, publicly its position remains unchanged.

"Sadr's militia has been taking over police stations, shutting schools and murdering Iraqi civilians," said Dan Senor, a US spokesman in Baghdad. "We hear from the silent majority that they want no part of this thuggery. If we don't confront these militias now, we will rue the day. It's simpler to do it now than after June 30 ."

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Plenty of jostling behind the scenes as Pentagon insists showdown must go on

Yeeee haaww.

Nice to know Iraq has a 'silent majority' too. Democracy must be taking hold.

We're back to the "silent majority" again? Shades of Nixonian Vietnamization. But I have to repeat what I said at that time, "A silent majority, and government by the people, are mutually exclusive."

to "hear" silence? Or is that classified?

From what I hear of the not so silent majority most people at the least want the US out and definitely do not trust or believe the US occupation forces. In particular the US, and pointedly, the Bushistas.

Bush should resign and resolve to seek peace like LBJ did, although he would foul that up too you can rest assured.