Yeah, poor Riverbend. You know she's from a Ba'athist family, right? Her father was a high ranking diplomat under Saddam.
No, I didn't, don't "know" that. I know that she is an articulate voice in Baghdad. And I know that your dismissal of her when you say, "poor Riverbend. You know she's from a Ba'athist family, right?" reflects far deeper attitudes of bitterness inside of Iraq, and is one important reason why I have said since 2003 that the most probable outcome of the invasion would be a civil war, with Iran profiting the most in the long run.
As far as Riverbend goes, though, I have read her a fair bit over the years, far more than you have I suspect. She is Sunni, but her family is "mixed." They have Shia sides to the family as well as Sunni. She has never, when I've read her, spoken bitterly about Shia as such, though she has spoken badly of Sadr and his militia. And occasionally has said things like, why are people saying that Sistani somehow reflects Iraq? He was Iranian born and spent many years in Iran. |
