Fighting Erupts In Baghdad After Week Of Relative Calm

The confrontation with Sadr is really not necessary. If you look at his previous stance, his main grievance is the presence of foreign troops in Iraq and that stance has not changed. He has been taking care of the cities under his sway quiet well, maintaining law and order. He joined the political process and accepted Maliki initially. In this latest confrontation Sadr is not the aggressor and I doubt Maliki dare attack Sadr city wihout the approval and support of US.
The loss of lives and damage to properties could have been avoided. It is a matter of Maliki, Sadr, and the Sunni Sheiks coming together to agree upon a time table for the withdrawal of US troops and to support the government troops. When the US troops leaves I bet they will all rejoice shooting in the air instead of each other. To them it is liberation and victory. If Maliki choose the path of violence I doubt his cut into Sadr city will heal. He is already seen as a US lacky anf a traitor.

W., with his pretend act to parents of 4,010, dead, brave teenage American soldiers, that he feels their pain and grieves with them. Liar. W. never feels anything at anytime, ever, in his 60 years of life on this earth. He is a lying, sniveling coward, who has a Daddy problem, thus, he began his vanity , Daddy war, based on a pack of lies. The media and congress went along with his charade to complete an act unseen in the history of the country. Why, Condi had to take out her Cliff Notes to "educate" the President who cannot read, think, reason, ruminate, ponder, speak, assess, evaluate, feel, understand, and provide pictorials of the history of the Middle-East. It is sad commentary that the people of this country voted for this buffoon. Twice.

Israel is the reason we are still in Iraq. If you do NOT believe that, just ask Wolfowitz, or Feith, or Eliot Abrams, or Richard Perle, or Peres, or Olmert, or Kristol, or Krautpliars or "Cakewalk" Adelman, or Senator "Isreal First" Lieberman. And, then it will be on to Iran to knock off another of Israel's enemies, with NO regard for the loss of American lives, or the stunning financial cost.

Even online Irak gets second billing. Got Ads?

3 more die in vain for those that have already been killed and maimed there.

3 more dead, and for what? FOR WHAT? Liberty? Democracy? Greed?

This is awful. That's a couple of platoons sent to the hell of rehab and five dead. Those are our guys getting clobbered in supposedly secure areas. This is awful.

Over the past 2 weeks there has been a Major Uptick in Violence.

None of it has been attributed to Al Qaida.

Why are we there?
Are we joining the CIVIL WAR?
Which Side are we fighting for?
Sunni's that used to be Insurgents or part of Sadamm's Army and now Our Awakening Force?
The Shia controlled government?
The Mehdi Army?
The Kurds?
The "THUGS" in Basra, Baghdad and Mosel?

I thought the LATEST REASON for staying in Iraq was to DEFEAT Al Qaeda there so they
do not come here to kill Americans.
Between the Allied Force of 160,000, the Awakening Force of 70,000 and the 430,000 Iraqi
Security Forces (660,000 Total) shouldn't we be focusing on the remaining 6000 Al Qaeda Terrorists? Apparently we have killed or captured 4000 Al Qaeda over the past couple years.
So if we stay focused with 660,00 vs. 6000 100 years may not be necessary.

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1727692,00.html

The Baghdadis caught between these extremes know that the only thing standing in the way of another sectarian conflagration is the U.S. military. This may explain why every Iraqi who offers me a view on American politics seems to be praying for a McCain victory. A 100-year American military presence, of which McCain once spoke, may seem a bit much; I suspect most Iraqis would be happy with five.

Michael Moore's Film Documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" was a powerful account of neglected facts and a host of untruths that led this country into War. It clearly showed the incompetency of our President; the hypocrisy of our congress and the weakness and bias of our Media. This Documentary should have easily swayed the thinking of the American people into demanding more accountability from this administration....but it did none of that. Instead it was put on the back shelf ...out of sight and out of mind. Michael Moore called the American people stupid, maybe near-sighted would be a less harsher word. In any case most Americans seem to be totally disconnected from the reality of this War and that will only fuel its continuance. Mixed information from both Parties on the progress or lack of...in Iraq and Afghanistan only serves to further confuse an already confused public. If Michael Moore's Documentary was made mandatory viewing and some brave reporters were able to film; record and actually show the current situation over there it may make a difference in shortening this War. But can we handle the truth? No-one...not the President, Congress nor the American people are doing enough to bring some type of closure to this War. The next President will have the opportunity to change that if he/she can win the confidence of the American people and gain the full support of Congress...a very big if !!

I asked a pleasant little old lady who was just leaving a small anti-war gathering near Philadelphia if she might consider voting for Ron Paul because he wanted our troops out of the Middle East without any delay (Obama & Hillary want us there until things are "stable" -- which hasn't happened in the last 4000 or so years, and McCain wants more war). Anyhow, she didn't like "everything" that Paul proposed, so she was not going to vote for him. No wonder the neocons are laughing. On to Iran!

Seems to me the acerbic notes that are being sounded in the posts anymore tell a much larger story than I see in the mundane holograms of people who live their daily lives as though none of this is happening.

I am worn out, exhausted........depressed and disillusioned.......I want to know where the revolutionaries are? Where are you? Why can't I see you?

Why are we sitting in our homes waiting for the worst yet to come and pinning our hopes on a messiah?

What happened to the country I used to know?

Why are all the people who seem so concerned in here so invisible in my daily life?

Where are you and why are we doing nothing to stop this???

coul bush,McCan't,lieberjew and cheeny be wrong---you mean it isn't over???

TO: INSURGENTS, DEAD-ENDERS,ETC.
RE: ATTACKING US FORCES
You are all advised to CEASE ATTACKS on US soldiers. As you well know, we are currently in the process of SURGING,and your attacks are very unhelpful. You are ruining the legacy of our CINC, GWB. Please STOP IMMEDIATELY.Enclosed is a check for TWO MILLION EUROS. Go away.
Signed, General Petraeus

The Neo Con owned News Media Conglomerates are in Collusion with the Neo Con Parasites infesting the Executive Branch to the tune of the billions of American Taxpayer dollars paid for Propaganda. The Republicans set it up by deregulating the Neo Con owned Conglomerates who now are sponsoring the so called think tanks in Washington. Corruption, Bribery, Extortion, Sleaze, Secrecy, Conflict of Interest and Collusion is the norm for these Treasonous Neo Nazis.
You wil not hear of the report from the London Telegraph about Gen. Betrayus lying about Iran from CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC or FOX.
So we now have over 10 trillion American Taxpayer dollars of deficits that who will pay? 3 trillion American Taxpayer dollars of borrowed American Taxpayer dollars from Iraq in direct and radiating costs for the lies the King Pinocchio and Shotgun Cheney told.
Treason is Treason and these Treasonous Neo Cons must be removed from all aspects of power. By revolution if neccessary.

If you people are so intent on seeing the U.S. fail in Iraq I suggest you all head on over there and sign up with Al Sadr.