US Complies With Iraqi PM's Order To Dismantle Sadr City Checkpoints

Dan Riehl thinks it's about time to get out.

Iraqi Shiite militants won a major political victory Tuesday when Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki ordered US and Iraqi units to lift a blockade around the flashpoint suburb of Sadr City.

The Sadrists are "jubilant."

I have to chew this one over. On one hand, it's apparently important that the PM be perceived as his own man, and not merely a creation of the US government, if he's to assert his authority.

On the other hand, if nation-building in Muslim countries can only occur if we allow the jihadists to assert their authority over us, what's the point?

I've been wondering for a while if Bush doesn't have his own exit plan on the slow cooker. One of the exit plans always mentioned -- we'd leave when the Iraqi government requests it.

If he has an idea like that, then right now US envoys are instructing Maliki to either get the Sadrists under control, let the US troops deal with him in their own special way, or expect a withdrawal.

posted by Ace at 12:41 PM

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