How cleric trumped U.S.’s Iraq plan
The Washington Post has a good story today about how Ayatollah Sistani, a Shiite cleric in Iraq, "trumped" Paul Bremer and the will of the Bush Administration. I think the article proves several things about the Administration’s handling of Iraq:
First, it’s flexible. People forget the task we have here. The Iraqis have been fed a constant diet of anti-Americanism, and here we are ruling them. It must suck from their perspective. They don’t trust us, and believe that we don’t understand them. Bremer and the admins showed that when the plan wasn’t working, and it definitely wasn’t working with Sistani’s Fatwa casting a pall over the interim authority, they changed their plan. Contrary to what many on the Left believe, the administration showed that it is dealing with the reality on the ground.
Second, it shows American respect for Islam. Sistani could have been deported or jailed. Instead, he was listened to and negotiated with.
Third, it will build trust as time continues. We need the trust of clerics and tribal leaders in order to succeed in Iraq. The jihadist and Baathists turning to softer targets in Iraq will make it harder for them to operate as they alienate the population.
Finally, it proves that we are there for the reasons we said we were. We aren’t interested in colonizing the place - or raping it for oil. Instead we are there to build a free and prosperous Iraq.
Dems will no doubt seize on the article as proof of Bush’s "mishandling" of Iraq. However the article shows the opposite to be the case. Check it out for yourself.
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