Condi's Diplomatic Skills

By Cernig

Condi Rice today tried her hand at the Bush administration's version of diplomacy during her visit to Iraq - which had been kept secret for security reasons - while surrounded by a massive armed guard. This from Fox News:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice mocked anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as a coward on Sunday, hours after the radical leader threatened to declare war unless U.S. and Iraqi forces end a military crackdown on his followers.

Rice, in the Iraqi capital to tout security gains and what she calls an emerging political consensus, said al-Sadr is content to issue threats and edicts from the safety of Iran, where he is studying. Al-Sadr heads an unruly militia that was the main target of an Iraqi government assault in the oil-rich city of Basra last month, and his future role as a spoiler is an open question.

"I know he's sitting in Iran," Rice said dismissively, when asked about al-Sadr's latest threat to lift a self-imposed cease-fire with government and U.S. forces. "I guess it's all-out war for anybody but him," Rice said. "I guess that's the message; his followers can go too their deaths and he's in Iran."

Can someone please please sit Rice down and explain the concept of an honor society to her? Because if she does know then she's deliberately trying to incite a massive conflict that even Fox News has figured out might lead to the deaths of a lot of people - inluding US troops - while she sits back in D.C. safe with her pals AWOL George and Dick "Five deferments" Cheney.

A full-blown uprising by al-Sadr, who led two rebellions against U.S.-led forces in 2004, could lead to a dramatic increase in violence in Iraq at a time when the Sunni extremist group Al Qaeda in Iraq appears poised for new attacks after suffering severe blows last year

No s**t, Sherlock.

Look, I know Rice is just trying to back the administration's chosen proxy, Maliki, in his attempt to dictate elections from gunpoint...but does she have to be so dense about it? Even Petraeus has managed to be more diplomatic than the Secretary of State, saying that he hopes Sadr stays a part of the political process. (Which would actually help Petraeus and Maliki as they could defeat Sadr's militia bit-by-bit and in detail then by going after "rogue elements" just as they've been doing instead of facing a massive uprising.) Whatever happened to Bush administration officials taking the advice of the commanders on the ground?

Update Brandon Friedman at VetVoice:

In fact, this schoolyard taunt by Rice actually provides a huge piece of propaganda for Sadr, who can now use it as a rallying point for his followers who will view this as a challenge to their honor.   

Again, we have yet another member of the Bush administration who--in a ham-handed effort to help our "allies"--is actually placing our own troops in more danger.  I don't think there's any question that this echoes George W. Bush's provocative invitation for terrorists around the world to descend on Iraq when he declared, "Bring'em on" in July 2003.  And we all know how that worked out.   

But it's not just about Rice's dismissive, provocative tone, either.  It's also this continuing, obnoxious Bush-brand of hypocrisy that the whole world sees: If Sadr had said the same thing of Rice--that she's a Washington, D.C. bureaucrat who sends others to fight her own battles--the Bush administration would freak out.  And that fact isn't lost on Iraqis.

As Rice is one who will not have to stay and fight the Mahdi Army side-by-side with our troops, I suggest that she keep her mouth shut if she's not going to say anything helpful.  Because statements like these are certainly not.

And Spencer Ackerman:

So Sadr is a coward for making threats from Iran… and Condoleezza Rice is a stateswoman for blustering Sadr into making a move that carries the potential of killing American soldiers. Why is this woman respected again?

Who says she is? The Europeans lost any glimmer of respect for her when she lied to them about using their airspace for illegal renditions to torture. They're all, conservative as well as left-leaning, waiting with bated breath in the hope that the next US administration won't be entirely composed of cack-handed amateurs.

Comments

[Turkey Turkey Turkey]

More of Rice's brilliant touch:

"Condoleezza Rice appeared on TV saying that the violence in Iraq hadn’t reached the point at which random bodies were turning up in the streets."

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/georgepacker/2008/04/a-young-friend.html

[Jay McDonough]

Ms. Rice's comments are reminiscent of President Bush's "bring it on" taunt when asked about insurgents in Iraq. Unfortunately for us, both Rice and Bush have a habit of underestimating foes and the difficulty of their grand plans.

[nabalzbbfr]

Condi is right on the mark. The recent moves by Maliki and Petraeus have put Sadr on the ropes. A taunt from an American WOMAN government official will completely demolish his standing in the Islamic world. His loss of face will be so complete that he might as well blow his brains out (or have some else do the job).

[Steve Hynd]

Funny that, Nabal, because Brandon Friedman is actually a veteran officer of tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, with two Bronze Stars, and he thinks its a disaterous bit of foot-in-mouth from Condi.

You're a shallow thinker and not even an original one. All your talking points come straight from AJ Strata.

-C

[remny]

It's more like: Maliki will now have to retalliate with an agressive act against us in order to show his supporters that this dark-skinned woman can't get away with THAT.

She is no diplomat. She doesn't even have the support of her own diplomatic corps.

[courtneyme109]

Yeah. Mookie fans have really had it tuff. Bless their hearts. No emirate, caliphate or theocracy anywhere in Iraq.

All the guy has done is to gather his minions for Great Satan to annihilate. This is like what? The third time?

And now, Great Satan disses Mookie in public about his 'warnings and cease fires', calling the guy a chicken while methodically ripping the living guts out of Mahdi Army in their very own pocket caliphate no go zone of Sadr City.

Oh, the humanity.

About Euro respect though - do you mean the same Europa who couldn't take an 8 hour panzer ride to Belgrade to put paid to Milosevic?

[Eric Martin]

Wow. Courtneyme is really showing off her/his ignorance.

Um, Moqtada does not want a caliphate. Or an emirate. Not sure where you got that from but, er, you should bone up on your knowledge of Islam and the Sadr family's place therein.

And if the US is "methodically ripping the guts out of" his militia, how long do you suppose, his militia will last?

I mean, how can they survive such a methodical dismantling. So Courtney, care to give us a timeline on the last throes of the Mahdi Army?

Didn't think so.

But hey, beat your chest and feel the rush of blood to your head. After all, it's not yours on the line in Iraq now is it.

[Steve Hynd]

Courtney, that's such a shallow analysis that you could only have come by it from only reading idiot bloggers who only watch Fox News.

Here. try an excellent precis from Military News as a primer on what you should know.

Regards, C

[courtneyme262]

YAWN. Try again girls (or guys)

Mookie's failed caliphate?

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/888/re7.htm

Great Satan's regime changers itiching for open war?
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2008/April/focusoniraq_April153.xml§ion=focusoniraq

Ripping the guts out of Mahdi Army?

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18621&Itemid=128

and

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=76929&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

and

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18602&Itemid=128

and

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18618&Itemid=128

and

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18622&Itemid=128

and

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=76960&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

and

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=76858&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

and

http://www.hood.army.mil/4id/news/roar/08apr/Apr%2014%20Ivy%20Leaf.pdf

Check page 4.

So Eric, want a time line? Gee, this is what now? Mahdi v3.0?

BTW, wanna admit your ignorance showing? Oh, didn't think so.

Besides, Ive never had an abortion either - but I can still be pro choice, right? Never euthanized pets either - but I can still be for spay and neuter programs right?

But go ahead Eric, stay in heat with defeat - your precious Mookie is still a loser.

I get it though - I admire you maintaining an argument that you can't win - and I sympathise. I tried to defend my cat once after she killed all the neighbors birds - I had nothing either.

And Cerniq - 1st off I'm not a watcher of Faux News and am quite lib on a lot of stuff. Shallow? Sorry - you're blame Condi bit is the very def of it.

Look, I'm not here to start one or to be one C. I'm not your enemy.

From Fester: Courtney --- in the future please single post and please only use one name. Sock-puppetting is extraordinarily rude and is grounds for an IP Ban. This one is a freebie.

[Americaneocon]

Cernig: Eric's calling Courtney ignorant, and you're defending him by calling her an idiot?

That's real high-powered. I'm impressed!

Those who aren't so well versed in international relations ought not to throw stones. I'm sure you're more careful in citing Andrew Moravcsik now that you've had a good solid, non-ad hominem take down.

And I'll bet you banned her as well, right? Hey, if anyone insults around here, they're nixed, right? Oh, only if they're evil neocons, I forgot.

I'd trust Courtney's analysis miles before what I'd find over here, but you already know that.

[Steve Hynd]

AN, you lose your bet. Courtney and I have already had a pleasant exchange of emails in which we agreed to be more polite and I passed all her cites on to Eric.

But yeah, I'm banning you again because your therapist still needs that porsche and you don't learn your lessons. If you don't want our analysis, dont read it.

Regards, C

[Eric Martin]

Courtney,

Sadr does not support a caliphate. He is a Shiite muslim, and the caliphate is the reactionary, romantic fantasy of a fringe movement of Sunni Muslims (which al-Qaeda and other Salafists are a part).

Your citation does nothing to change those basic facts, nor does it refute any of this.

Nor does Sadr want an emirate. Again, that is a political system that has little root in Shiite tradition.

Theocracy? Perhaps. Sadr does ascribe to the theocratic blend of politics and religion as promulgated by Khomenei during the Iranian revolution. But that is different.

So Eric, want a time line? Gee, this is what now? Mahdi v3.0?

But that is my argument, not yours. People have been claiming that the Sadrist movement/militia has been dead for about 4 years now. And yet...they don't appear so dead. Saying it one more time does not bolster the underlying claim.

Also, citing MNF-1 is not always going to get you the most reliable information. The military has to try to control the information space, so they are not as dedicated to the actual facts as others. If you took only military reports from Vietnam, you'd think we evicerated the adversary many times over. And yet...they didn't end up being so dead.

But you never did give us a timeline. I'm still interested.

[courtneyme109]

Sock puppets?

Yeah like getting socked out of commentary? I conceed your point - at least there was no confusion about the nom de' guerre. Fair enough. And thanks for the freebie.

Eric, au contraire - that cite does much more - It makes my case. Despite your clever wordplay and refuge in shia sunnism. Come on, it's Mookie's own words - to a state ran paper in Egypt. He couldn't get it going. Failure - his own words.

Timeline? Who can say? Who cares? Iraq has just outlawed militias so if Lebanon is any clue to what happens when militias and resistence movements (that tend to resist their own gov more than 'occupiers') can usurp a states sovereignity ANY gov in Bahgdad will eventually put paid to them.

Fact is a much better case could be made that Mookie is a pawn between the Mullahs and the IRRGC (who just recently eclipsed Preacher Command in the last Majiles election) and face it - are the only cats in the hood that could create, sustain and attempt a surge of their own from Basra, Nasariyah, Najaf, Karbala to Bahgdad.

If you have any cites about Mookie wanting to establish a tolerant, egalitarian society with a free, uncensored press, a military under civilian control, an independent judiciary under elected gov oversight, transparent, periodic elections and a nat'l treasury under public scrutiny then break them out.

Sure - the military news is fake. Please - these are the same guys who couldn't keep Tillman's death a secret - among 14 guys no less. Really reckon they could fake battles all over Iraq?

Iraq is taking the Arab way of war (like Sir Lawrence hinted at - feint, deceit, hudna, surprise attacks) and is mixing it up with PR and a semi Western view of the state as holding a monopoly on violence to intimidate, isolate, marginalize and annihilate the militias.

Great Satan is setting Mookie up - he knows it - thus the disappearing act last year, an attempt to keep his guys healthy wealthy and wise til Al Sistani has passed into the perfumed gardens of Paradise and then he can magically appear with newly minted Ayatollah bona fides.

Rice's diss was carefully calculated - despite critique - essentially calling the guy out. Mookie can do it the fun friendly way with open honest negotiations or the old school way with AK's and RPG's.

Either way is fine.

Thanks very much for the op to share.

http://www.aina.org/news/20080421020740.htm

[Beaman]

Eric Martin: Whilst the Caliphate-type idea in Shiaa Islam is different to that of the Sunni variety, there is little doubt that the Imperialist Shiaas seek to influence the entire Middle East. From their Godfather in Iran, through to Al Sadr in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

I also disagree with your assertion that the Sunni Caliphate concept is a "reactionary, romantic fantasy of a fringe movement". It forms part of the Islamic ideal which can be found in the Koran and Sunnah, the former of which I am sure you have read. If a Muslim knows his religious texts, then he will support the Caliphate. That is as simple as 2 + 2.

Personally, I believe Al Sadr and his merry band of thugs need to be removed as soon as possible. If that means a full scale war, the likes we've not seen since the initial invasion, then so be it. We are fighting not just Al Sadr, but Iran, in a campaign that is widening and will widen still further. Unfortunately we have no choice if we are to uphold our own morals and the defence of the West and innocent peoples worldwide but to fight on until we win. For win we must!

I can't see anything wrong with Rice's comments and was pleased with Hilary Clinton's comments today about Iran in relation to their threats on Israel. Indeed, the earlier commenter, Courtney, has hit the spot.

[Beaman]

Cernig: I want to rebutt your claim that we Europeans "all" condemn Rice and pray for a new form of politics with the new US government next January. Are you European yourself? Many of us see the War on Terrorism as the only way to defeat the 21st Century's form of Nazism.