Rebel Iraq cleric defies US - Tens of Thousands Chant Support for Sadr

Rebel Iraq cleric defies US

KUFA, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi'ite guerrillas have clashed with U.S. troops near Kufa as their leader, rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has defied demands that he disband his militia to spare Iraq's holy cities from bloodshed.

U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed after talks at the White House on Friday they would stamp out the rebellion launched by Sadr this month and also win a long-running battle against Sunni guerrillas.

"We stand firm," Blair, Bush's closest ally on Iraq, told a joint news conference. "We will do what it takes to win this struggle. We will not yield. We will not back down in the face of attacks, either on us or on defenceless civilians."

April has been Iraq's bloodiest month since Saddam Hussein was ousted a year ago. The U.S. military has lost at least 92 troops in combat so far this month -- more than the total killed in the three-week war that toppled Saddam.

more...

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=494494§ion=news

Have to come up with a bogus list of atrocities he has committed and then shoot him.

eom

What doesn't yield is destined to break. This pervasive attitude between Bush and Blair is the root cause of the troubles facing them today. They will not yield. They are never wrong. They will never compromise.

Funny though, now they're seeking help from the U.N. The same U.N. that they so callously disregarded in the build up to this "holy war" that so preoccupies Bush's simple mind. Everything is black, or it is white. There are no shades of grey.

If they don't start changing their attitudes the fragile coalition of the bribed will fall apart quicker than a mobile home in a tornado. Evidence of that happening is already noticeable.

the media though allows blair and bush to describe their efforts at will.
there must be no dissent between the media and bushco -- or at least not enough to cause them serious harm but just enough for the media to claim they are not the paid whores they are.

They're doing it gratis because they like it! Meanwhile, their man bu$h persists in kicking the hornets' nest. The Gates of Hell are opening in Iraq, and all we can hear on TV is how "resolute" the Boy King is.

:freak:
dbt

"The U.S. military has lost at least 92 troops in combat so far this month -- more than the total killed in the three-week war that toppled Saddam." Team this with the fact that the number of US troops in Iraq is inadequate (see: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x492114 ) against the "hundreds of thousands" who support Sadr.

My sense is that other countries are starting to isolate the US and that we are going to have to continue the madness in Iraq alone. Following in the footsteps of Spain, Portugal is going to be pulling out of the "coalition." Poland has already said it is pulling out and Italy "is not considering sending more soldiers to the region."

I haven't kept track (maybe someone else can tell me) as to how many countries have already pulled out. Although Bush and Co are turning to the U.N., judging by recent responses the sub-text to their statements is that Bush can go take a flying leap.

I see nothing but disaster--not only in Iraq-- but for the US.

About what the desecration of sites like the Mosque of Imam Ali will mean to the world's 170 million Shia Muslims.

And no doubt the Vulcans have laughed it off. All according to plan. Har har har.

Oi.