Ah yes, pro-terrorist. How charming.
I forget sometimes just exactly what goes on on the other side of the line. Thanks for reminding me, manny.
Now, as to the actual facts, the fact, dear sir, is that the USG had no intention of running a wide-open election and only did so under the threat of a general insurrection. That’s not spin; that’s a fact.
Further, there isn’t going to be a secular Shia government. There’s going to be, because Sistani wants it this way, a basically theocratic government with threadbare secular trappings to keep the US from shitting a brick. Said government will, whether we like it or not, be heavily influenced by Iran.
As I said, we have to decide what we want, because if we don’t, what we’re going to end up with is a three-way civil war with our soldiers shooting in all three directions as they climb onto their helicopters to get the H— out of there fast as they can.
The USG has to be realistic about where it is - you know, smack in the middle of the Middle East, surrounded on all sides by hostile people with interests all their very own that have absolutely nothing to do with the wet dreams of right-wing ideologues, in case you hadn’t noticed - and what it can accomplish. Given the obvious myopia of its supporters, I tend to doubt any such realism is forthcoming.
With that, I bid you good riddance. Have a nice life.