corrente

Juan Cole gives detail on the collapse of negotiations with Sadr Meanwhile, Sadr has declared a two-day truce (for the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed).

I still don't get what's to negotiate. The RNC—oh, sorry! The CPA—wants Sadr to disarm his militia; Sadr doesn't want that. And making him do it is going to be about as easy as, well, getting a winger loon not to exercise his Second Amendment rights. Sadr to CPA: "I will give up my militia when they pry my dead cold fingers from around it."

Here's an idea: Why not have Sistani issue a fatwa that legalizes Sadr's militia as the Iraqi Army? After all, Sadr's militia, unlike the Army the CPA trained, seem to be capable of functioning in a war. Plus, it would give a lot of poor men (Sadr's base) work. And if it were under Sistani and Shi'ites who are, if not more moderate, at least more mature, it would lead to much greater stability. [Probably there are readers who can tell if this thought is simply crazed, as opposed to being out of the box.]

Plus, we wouldn't have to pay American contractors billions to train the Iraqi Army ourselves! Oh, wait...