The remarkable Lazarus/Maliki

'...another fascinating move by al-Sadr. He’ll order his militia to lay down its arms if al-Sistani tells him to. Exquisite layering of his oft-shifting positions is hard to read at a distance, though it looks like he is once again on the ropes.'
http://www.julescrittenden.com/2008/04/08/failure-of-leadership/

I'm sure its because he won in Basra. Because thats what winners do. They agree to hand over their weapons to the people who they beat. Could I beeeeeeeeee any more sarcastic? I don't think so.

'...Yesterday streams of refugees were pouring out of Sadr City as automatic gunfire and mortar bomb blasts ripped through the giant slum that is home to 2.5 million people. Terrified residents scuttled down side streets as tanks trundled along the main thoroughfares, shooting at guerrillas. A massive American and Iraqi security presence had ringed the area, with police and soldiers guarding every exit with many predicting a final, bloody showdown as popular support drained from al-Mahdi Army.' [This quote is from the Times article here]

And yes, this is the same Times that said this 'Certainly Mr al-Maliki’s huge gamble appeared to have failed yesterday. Having vowed to crush Shia militias with a 30,000-strong force in Basra, he ended up suing for peace with the people he had described as “worse than al-Qaeda”. Al-Mahdi Army kept its weapons and turf.'

Coupla days later, it reports this:

'Iraq’s largest and most dangerous militia will voluntarily disband if Shia scholars advise its leader to do so, officials said yesterday — a dramatic move that could quell much of the fighting in the war-torn country.'

Indeed, see them dance this merry jig of trying to square their self-made circle:

'The position of Hojatoleslam al-Sadr, whose fighters fought government forces to a standstill in Basra, was looking precarious. His former erstwhile ally Nouri al-Maliki, the Shia Prime Minister who personally led the Basra crackdown, saw his standing bolstered by his tough approach to the militias.

Despite the inconclusive results of his Basra offensive, Mr al-Maliki has refused to back down and this weekend stitched together a rare consensus of Kurds, Sunnis and Shias to back a law banning from future elections any party that maintains a militia.'

In about a week, Maliki has gone from 'busted in Basra' to 'Lord of all he surveys'. Or maybe the Times was just full of shit. You be judge. I don't know which twelve-year old they have editing the paper this week, but he must be told to do better.