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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dr. Id who wrote (134770)	5/28/2004 8:15:26 PM
From: Jacob Snyder	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Agreement by U.S. and Rebels to End Fighting in Najaf (My comment: Sadr stays out of our hands, and his army stays intact. Another defeat for the U.S., like Fallujah and Waziristan. We've got to stop saying we are going to do things we don't have the ability to do.) The agreement, hammered out between Mr. Sadr and Iraqi leaders and approved by the Americans, requires that the fighters of the Mahdi Army get off the streets — and if they are from other cities, to leave — and for the Americans to pull most of their forces out of the city. The Americans can still maintain a handful of posts inside the city and send soldiers on patrol. The deal also applies to the nearby city of Kufa, the site of Mr. Sadr's mosque. Allowing the Mahdi Army to continue intact, as long as it remains off the streets, is a major concession to Mr. Sadr. In another, Iraqi officials agreed to "suspend" the arrest warrant for him that cites his suspected involvement in the murder of a rival cleric in April 2003. That represents, at least for now, a reversal for the Americans, who have said repeatedly that they intend to "kill or capture" Mr. Sadr and "destroy" the Mahdi Army. According to two Iraqi Shiite leaders, American officials signed onto the agreement after they received a forceful note from Ayatollah Sistani and other senior clerics, passed to them by Iraqi's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie. "The religious leadership passed a strong warning to the Americans yesterday to end the standoff in Najaf peacefully," said Hamed Khafaf, an aide to Ayatollah Sistani. Had they refused, Mr. Khafaf said, the ayatollah, convinced that the presence of American forces so near the Imam Ali Shrine was unsustainable, "would not stay silent." That appeared to be a threat to speak out directly against the Americans. nytimes.com

To: Dr. Id who wrote (134770)	5/28/2004 8:19:58 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

You don't think that Ashcroft et al wouldn't censor the internet in a second if they could? And you don't think that a Kerry led administration wouldn't do the very same thing in order to cover their collective @sses and prevent another 9/11 style attack?? Let Kerry get into office and report back to me exactly how decides to use the powers of the state to protect his ability to get re-elected.. It's the classical liberals, the libertarians, and conservatives who have fought to reduce governmental intrusion into the private lives of Americans.. I still remember the abuses committed by a certain auditing agency during the previous administration for the purpose of quieting political opponents. alamo-girl.com And Kerry is not talking about carrying the battle against militants into the Arab heartland. He talking about erecting stronger internal defenses against attack.. And anyone who's ever worked in the security industry knows that the more of it you have, the less freedom and liberty you have. Which is why I advocate fighting the battle overseas in Muslim lands... Fostering a civil war between militants and moderates. Forcing militants to have to kill other muslims in order to get at us.. Hawk