In an About-Face, Sunnis Want U.S. to Remain in Iraq (protect from Shiite)

[sabra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/17/world/middleeast/17sunnis.html?hp&ex=1153108800&en=20dfc317ae88e505&ei=5094&partner=homepage

In an About-Face, Sunnis Want U.S. to Remain in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 16 — As sectarian violence soars, many Sunni Arab political and religious leaders once staunchly opposed to the American presence here are now saying they need American troops to protect them from the rampages of Shiite militias and Shiite-run government forces.

The pleas from the Sunni Arab leaders have been growing in intensity since an eruption of sectarian bloodletting in February, but they have reached a new pitch in recent days as Shiite militiamen have brazenly shot dead groups of Sunni civilians in broad daylight in Baghdad and other mixed areas of central Iraq.

The Sunnis also view the Americans as a “bulwark against Iranian actions here,” a senior American diplomat said. Sunni politicians have made their viewpoints known to the Americans through informal discussions in recent weeks.

The Sunni Arab leaders say they have no newfound love for the Americans. Many say they still sympathize with the insurgency and despise the Bush administration and the fact that the invasion has helped strengthen the power of neighboring Iran, which backs the ruling Shiite parties.

[LynnTheDem]

1. FINALLY, eh bushie??! Took em long enough and oceans of blood

but ya finally brought em round to what you planned onj doing regardless.

"PROGRESS"!

[Charlie Brown]

2. we cannot ask our servicemen to take bullets for rival religious sects

They signed up to defend America, not fight a proxy war.

bring them home now.

[jseankil]

3. Yea umm, oh this awkward, we uhh need to get going,have a prior engagement

but uhh if you need anything from us, for like a cup or sugar or something...we'll be right next door.

[wellst0nev0ter]

11. LMAO! The Lumberg schtick never grows old

p.s. to all the purist: I'm not sure if I spelled the character's name correctly, and frankly I don't care all that much.

[bemildred]

4. So, are we going to stay and protect our good friends the Sunni now? nt

[megatherium]

5. I'm going to go out on a limb and make a prediction:

Saddam Hussein will be acquited of the crimes against him, and Iran will be blamed for the poison gas attacks Hussein will be acquitted of.

This will have several effects: It will convince Sunnis we are sincere, repairing our relations with the oil states, and it will really mess with the Iranians and their Shiite allies in Iraq. I'm convinced that the Iranians are the primary reason Bush decided to do Iraq first (he wanted to do Iran as well): I gather it is known that Ahmed Chalabi sent agents to our intelligence agencies with lies about WMD. Chalabi was working for the Iranians (he traveled to Iran).

I'm not being completely serious here of course, but there is a logic to this prediction of mine.

[AnOhioan]

6. How can that be?????

Sunnis afraid of Shiites would mean there was a civil war in progress, the cabal running the US says that is not the case. :sarcasm:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. Did our troops know they would be human shields and police?

Did they sign up to be caught up as a buffer in another country's civil war?

[daleo]

8. They found three or four Sunnis to quote

That hardly corresponds to the wishes of the population, though.

You could probably have found stories like this in the late stages of the Viet Nam war too.

[rodeodance]

9. great, just great.

[shadowknows69]

10. Who have we been protecting up to now?

Bagdhad has like 100 civilian deaths a day. The Sunnis would be smarter to hire Blackwater and send us packing.