Some good behind the scenes information. Though not emphasised here, it appears Maliki has totally thrown his hat into the ring with Iran and has become an all out supporter of the Islamic regime there. No wonder Gen. Petraeus has a major problem with this “enemy within”.
A move by some Iraqi military officials to change the Shi’a-dominated Government of Nouri Maliki -- which is now cooperating closely and openly with the clerical Government of Iran, and deliberately resisting cooperation (insofar as possible) with the US -- would not, ultimately, be viewed askance in Washington, which essentially now feels that the original US route to "democracy" in Iraq cannot be achieved rapidly enough to forestall an effective Iranian victory in Iraq.
Why maliki and sadr are still alive will be a mystery for historians to sift through and argue about.
I do nnot understand why the U.S. allowed Sharia Law to be enshrined into the Iraqi Constitution. Islam and Sharia Law are antithetical to democracy and freedom of any sort. Ditto for Afganistan.
Gen. Petraeus is a good man and a good soldier. Can he turn this thing in Iraq around? I don’t know but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But The Iraqi and Afgani Constitutions need to be amended to eliminate Sharia as the basis for law.
Ann Coulter is right when she states that we should have invaded these countries, killed their leaders and converted them to Christianity. Seems to me that to allow that dangerous cult of death known as Islam to be a dominant force inside these countries is never really fixing the problem and sowing the seeds of disaster for the future.