Naturally I don’t approve of blowing anyone up, at any time or place, for any reason, but in this case I can’t help being aware of the irony. Just a week ago President Bush was in Anbar Province, Iraq, shaking hands with this man, Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, described as a key ally in winning over Sunni tribes to the fight against Al Qaeda. Today Abu Risha is dead, killed by a roadside bomb.
General David Petraeus, the far-seeing Iraqi commander and future American Emperor (though his immediate supervisor Admiral William Fallon has called him an “ass-kissing little chickenshit” ) mourned the loss of Abu Risha in the following words: “It’s a terrible loss for Anbar province and all of Iraq.” He went on to call the Sheikh an “important unity figure” and an “organizing force” who had “earned enormous respect for his leadership and organizational ability.”
Despite these eulogies, there are two reasons why I’m smirking a bit. The first is that this is a setback for Bush’s increasingly insane strategy of arming and training both sides in the ethnic cleansing of Iraq. The second is that Abu Risha was not a nice man. Who could imagine that a warlord like him would work with the Americans for any other reason than opportunism? Clearly he saw us as desperate and gullible. The Middle Eastern affairs blog Abu Aardvark describes the above photo in these words:
- Look at Bush’s shit-eating grin and Abu Risha’s detached contempt, and figure out which is the supplicant in this scenario.
He goes on to say:
- An hour with Bush was really quite a coup for Sattar Abu Risha. The head of the Anbar Salvation Council has a rather unsavory reputation as one of the shadiest figures in the Sunni community…. As a report in Time described him,
- Sheikh Sattar, whose tribe is notorious for highway banditry, is also building a personal militia, loyal not to the Iraqi government but only to him. Other tribes—even those who want no truck with terrorists—complain they are being forced to kowtow to him. Those who refuse risk being branded as friends of al-Qaeda and tossed in jail, or worse.
Finally, he alludes to “the widely discussed, sensational rumor that [Abu Risha] skipped town with $75 million in American cash,” though he calls that “a ‘misunderstanding’ which has been ‘resolved.'” Regardless of whether that particular story is true, Bush’s encounter with Abu Risha during a six-hour touchdown at an isolated army base with a seventeen-mile security perimeter had the feeling of two thieves meeting in the night. And the self-congratulatory way in which Bush promoted the meeting as proof of “bottom-up reconciliation” makes me see this as a fitting comeuppance for them both.
Right! just look at this picture you’ve posted eatbees. the warlord looks focused, almost nervously excited knowing that this handshake is an important promotion in the business of opportunistic gangsters: you can almost read in his eyes “that’s the moment I was waiting for… now I have the clout… this picture will make me important, and nobody will treat me as a crank anymore.”
on the other hand, Bush, as usual, looks helplessly stupid: He has been told to take a picture with this Arab, so he did…
@Hisham — Exactly! :D
The same old story played again and again.It happened in Algeria,remember the misery of the harkis.Remember lebanon and the blow-up of Elie Hobeika who master-minded along with Ariel Sharon the massacre of Sabra and Shatila.Remember Sadate who shake hands with Begin a notorious Israeli terrorist and so on…
No doubt History is stubborn.
Some US ground officers in Irak resent very much this situation: they have had to fend off the Sunni tribe’s fire for years, then the money from Saddham’s n°2 went off, and those same tribes approached American leaders, offering to turn against Al Qaeda (actually their Sunni rivals).
In the process these tribes have amassed weaponry, ammunitions, plenty of cash and air support from the American, enough to get rid of their former allies and be prepared for the next phase of the conflict.
The history of Mesopotamia- of Irak ever since it was created, is made of such opportune changes of alliances.
I’ma afraid the US shouldn’t think these new friendship are motivated by any sort of ideological of political motivation.
Concerning the picture: look at Bush’s index finger inside Risha’s hand. It is lost;-)
Concerning Risha: the man was also considered by the US Marines as a war criminal and ethnic cleanser during the Fallujah battle.
It’s tough to weep for such a gentle creature, even though you’re right: murder is always to be condemned
Another comment concerning the picture. Did you notice Petraeus’ bean-sized head perched on Bush’s shoulder?
A new discovery about freedom in Iraq:
The Iraqi people are hungry for democratic freedom and willing to die for it. Many Americans however are voting for the contrast of freedom called socialism this year. Annalists are already predicting a huge sweep of leftists coming into both the U.S. house and senate on the coat tails of the white house this fall. These leftists openly consider christian patriots the enemy of their state even above the terrorists. These people are itching to pass the fairness doctrine to put an end to conservative talk radio. They are already targeting hate legislation aimed directly against all American patriots. They plan a massive overhaul of the judicial system to impose legislation against 1st and 2nd amendment rights.
McCain will make the Iraq war the central issue of this campaign because Obama promises to withdraw our troops regardless if the terrorists declare victory. Christians may have one last chance to grandstand against another Vietnam and the establishment of an anti christian socialistic state in America. But there is now a new hope!
A new biblical discovery has just been released into the market bringing a miraculous prophecy about Iraq. There are a large number of biblical scriptures which have passed silently under the radar until now.
Iraq is to be freed by great eagle wings in the latter day prophecy! This is welcome news coming straight from the Bible just before the election. Most Americans still believe in Bible prophecy above political persuasions.
If the war in Iraq represents God’s will actually predicted in Bible prophecy, this may be our chance to unify christians and patriots before this critical election takes place. Obama claims to be a good christian. Could he now become exposed publically for opposing “the great eagle” freeing Iraq in Bible prophecy?
This stunning declaration comes from one of the most reputable christian publishers in America… http://www.eternaltruth.net
[I’ve left this comment here because it might amuse my readers, but I had to edit it because it goes on for twice as long—eatbees]