The outbreak this week of fierce militia fighting in several Iraqi cities, including Basra and Baghdad, is a direct threat to the security gains of the U.S. military surge and a reminder of how shaky Iraq’s political situation remains.
After months of keeping a low profile, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a longtime thorn in the side of the U.S. occupation, is once again rattling sabers and threatening nationwide civil unrest and uprisings.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was in Basra Monday and vowed that the Iraqi government would “restore security, stability, and enforce law in this city.†Today he ordered the Shiite militias in Basra to lay down their weapons within 72 hours or face more severe consequences.
As Time magazine noted, this could be his moment of truth. If Iraqi troops can crush the Mahdi Army and the other Shiite militias holding Basra, it could restore some confidence in him and in Iraq’s ability to govern itself. But if the Iraqi troops fail, it could further undermine the government and Maliki.
Some have wondered whether a president John McCain would be like George W. Bush on steroids — quick to flex military muscle and unwilling to back down no matter what. But McCain began a foreign policy speech today by stating that he detests war and thinks it is “wretched beyond all description.â€
“When nations seek to resolve their differences by force of arms, a million tragedies ensue,†McCain said. “The lives of a nation’s finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted; economies are damaged; strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict. Not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. Whatever gains are secured, it is loss the veteran remembers most keenly.
“Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the merciless reality of war.â€
Clinton supporter James Carville last week called New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson a “Judas†for endorsing Barack Obama. Now he’s refusing to apologize for the insult. Good for him. It’s starting to get silly, these demands for apologies for strong or insulting language.
Richardson did a painful thing in rejecting his former political benefactors — and many in the Clinton camp do see it as betrayal. Is “Judas†a bit over the top? Sure. And so was an Obama supporter calling Hillary Clinton a “monster.†But they reflect the strong feelings in these two campaigns.
Let’s reserve the outrage for what’s truly outrageous, and quit with the rounds of dueling apologies and forced resignations. Or there will be nobody left to campaign.
Two fun facts from an account of last week’s “Defending the American Dream Summit†in Topeka, an event sponsored by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation that might as well have been sponsored by the Republican Party: Two people were honored with bronze busts of President Reagan, and the audience overwhelmingly identified Fox News Channel as the favored cable news network. “I can see we have a fair and balanced audience,†said speaker Michael Barone of U.S. News & World Report and Fox News.
Talk about curb appeal. Union Station downtown, with its beautiful colonnaded facade, is up for sale. Like many former public buildings, this is an architectural and historical treasure that deserves not just preservation but a place at the heart of our civic life.
Steve Martens, whose real estate company is selling the property, sees a variety of possible uses for the 85,000-square-foot building, including retail, hotel and restaurant. What’s important is to find new life and a high use for such a historic building.
Originally the city’s train depot and most recently the home for Cox Communications, Union Station offers an exciting opportunity for a developer to build on the location’s proximity to the Old Town entertainment district and new arena.
This is a key piece in the downtown redevelopment puzzle. Here’s hoping someone has a vision to match the building’s great potential.Any takers out there, bloggers?
