Comment from timr
Time: May 31, 2008, 3:27 pm

Max, I have been reading on many news web pages that Ali al-Sistani has already told several high ranking followers that the US must leave and let the Iraqi-read shia-make up their own minds. The shia -I don’t think that hate is to strong a word-several of the positions that the US has shoved down their throats like 1-giving the sunni palces in the government 2-giving women the right to vote, and trying to make womens rights a large part of the government-the shia in Iraq are very conservative, and to try and make them accept sunni in any part of the govt fails to take into account how the shia have been treated since England gave the govt of Iraq to the sunni back in the 20’s and 30’s. Then to force the “conservative” shia-religious police anyone-to accept not only women getting the right to vote, but to letting women work outside the home(saddam did do all that, and let the women of Iraq dress as they pleased)is another strike against the modernism that the US is shoving down their throats. (and leave us not forget the Kurds, hated by the Turks, Iraq, and Iran where they all have substantial minorities) and where none of those countries want to see the Kurds get even a provincial government in any of their countries as they might want to take parts of Turkey and Iran to make a country(one with oil I might add) And what about the christians in Iraq? They were allowed-by saddam-to open liqueur stores, and when the new govt came, gangs-religious police-shut them down as drinking is verbotten in muslim countries-not very well observed in countries like SA, Qater,UAE where muslims drink but do it in private homes rather than bars. The christians in Iraq are slowly being forced out of the country by the shia-the police will not investigate when a christian owned shop(which sells booze) is fire bombed, or vandalized. So, the shia both hate and fear the sunni and to keep them from getting a foothold in govt-where they might try to take over again as they think is their right-they really really want to kick them out of the “unity govt” Its all a right fuckin mess, and its all gwb’s fault. It would really help Obama if al-Sistani would state publicly that he wants the US to leave-and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out-he has already made his displeasure known to Maliki about the so called SOF agreement that the US is attempting to get the Iraq govt to sign off on. He told Maliki that he would not stand for any agreement that allowed the US to 1-keep their troops and the merc’s above Iraqi law and 2-allow the US permanent basing in Iraq. The idea floated by someone in the US contingent to turn the green zone into disneyland middle east is total BS and something that the shia-who think that US & all western countries society are very decedent-would never allow. Any idea of american style amusements would very quickly be shot down.