Posted on 08/19/2006 7:12:59 PM PDT by jmc1969
At least 19 people, including a U.S. soldier, were killed in Iraq Saturday as Shiites gathered for the peak of a major religious ceremony.
But in an exclusive interview with CBS News, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said he sees a perverse sort of progress.
"I see indications that both sides believe that a balance of terror has been established," Khalilzad told CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann. "They have demonstrated to each other that they can inflict pain on each other, and neither can get rid of the other."
That "balance of terror" led to record levels of violence in Iraq last month – with nearly 3500 Iraqis dying violently – and that was a trend that continued Saturday.
The U.S. military said an American soldier was killed in Anbar province – a stronghold of Sunni Arab insurgency.
The sustained killing threatens the stability of the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's fragile government of national unity.
Khalilzad said Maliki may be running out of time to change course.
"I think he has another three or four months to reverse this most important issue, the sectarian violence," he said.
The U.S. ambassador does see one government that is working in Iraq.
"There are Iranian agents in this country," he told Strassmann. "What I mean is that there are people from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – 'Parasan' as they call it. There are people associated with Iran's intelligence agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at wbbm780.com ...
No bias to be found there. Thanks for posting.< /sarc>
It's do or die time (so to speak) for the Iraqi's. Civilian casualties will reach a tipping point soon.
There's a lot of Iraqis riding on the hope that the central government fails. (The Iranians would likely prefer that the country stays unified, since Shiites would dominate election after election. Unfortunately for them, the insurgency they backed and the militias they created have a mind of their own, and it's for independence.)
This war is as much a fight for oil as it is anything else. The war will go on for years if they can't come to some oil sharing agreement.
Sounds like a plan :-)
Sometimes I think the best solution is to put a very tall, very heavy chainlink fence around the country and call it a cage fight. Put it on HBO. Last one standing wins.
That would make sense, if the oil was anywhere the Sunnis could get at it. It's not. Rather than try and make amends with the Shiites, the Sunnis are slitting their own throats. If the Shiites and the Kurds say 'Screw this' and pull out of the Iraqi goverment, the Sunnis are back to being nomadic tribesmen. They should be down on both knees begging for forgiveness, instead of blowing up Shiite mosques and then asking for an oil handout from them.
Too bad Bush handed Iraq over to the Iranians without resistance!
Exxonistan... has a nice ring to it.
The Iraqi people have to step up and take their country back from the murderers and thieves who control parts of it today.I don't believe that the average Iraqi is doing enough to kill the terrorists.They seem to think that terrorists are alright as long as they share the same brand of Islam.They won't have freedom and peace until they choose to fight against all the terrorists,Shiite and Sunni.
There is a lot of pent up anger and scores to be settled now that Iraqi's are free. It's not pretty, but we should not stand in the way either.
When we took over Iraq we knew there was three major groups who did not like each other - Shiites, Sunni and Kurds. Kurds were our best friends, Shiites neutral but the Sunnis were the pricks. Since the Sunnis jointed Al Qaida to kill Americans at the beginning, we should have backed the Shiites in rounding up all the Sunni Baathists and had them all tried for war crimes and shot. The Sunnis only represent 20 percent of Iraq and the Shiites 60 percent. With US backing, it would be a one way civil war, and within one year, half the Sunnis would have fled to Syria or dead. We made a mistake by ignoring the brutal wisdoms of the past and tried to do it the idealistic American way. I think President Wilson learned a bitter lesson after World War I, the US ideals are unique and the rest of the world doesn't practice it. GWB is learning that now, and future American President are not going to risk their political careers trying to reform the world again.
I agree with you 101%.
Iran was willing to let Hezbollah take on Israel so it is entirely likely that they are causing massive problems in Iraq.
"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
GWB is learning that now, and future American President are not going to risk their political careers trying to reform the world again.
Ok, fine. However, no one will ever be allowed to criticize the US for supporting dictators. My whole life I've heard the US supports that guy or this idiot and so the US is a hypocrit.
Well, if democracy and freedom (which I will never believe myself) isn't the answer, then you better get used to being friends with folks like Saddam Huessein, Assad of Syria, and other Hitler types.....and no bitching when they kill half their population in political purges. And, when the violence turns on America no whining.
To be honest, it isn't time to get all spongey. It's time to carpet bomb. That's basically how we got attitude adjustment from Germany and Japan. I know this sounds sick in today's world but it worked an the 1940's didn't it? It's simply about damn time we finally let the Iraqi's know once and for all how it's going to be.
Sounds like plan B to me. Bush has attempted to thread the needle in Iraq. Namely, declare war on Islamofacism but not Islam or Arab culture. The jury is still out but it's not looking very promising.
Our only other options are retreat and appeasement (Democrat plan) vs total war (WWII style with or without nukes) against Iran and any other Islamofacist pretender.
Well said.
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