Cynics like me have long maintained that the motivation behind the timing of the handover of power to the interim government in Iraq was to get that country out of the headlines before the serious campaigning got under way in the US presidential election. For a while there it seemed like it might be working, since we've had to dig a little harder lately for news from Iraq. (Although Jeanne at Body and Soul did a pretty thorough summary yesterday.)
But Iraq may yet dominate the headlines again.
Rebel Cleric Calls for Uprising as Clashes Erupt in Najaf
The radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr called for a national uprising against American and coalition forces today as a two-month truce between Mr. Sadr and the United States military appeared to collapse.In Baghdad and Basra, the largest city in southern Iraq, insurgents loyal to Mr. Sadr prepared for clashes with American and British troops.
But the heavy fighting appeared to be mainly in and near Najaf, a Shiite holy city and Sadr stronghold 100 miles south of Baghdad. An American Marine helicopter was shot down in Najaf this morning, although the crew was reported rescued.
Later, insurgents attacked an American convoy with a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire near Najaf, killing one soldier and wounding five, all from the 13th Corps Support Command, the United States military said.
Seven insurgents were killed and 22 were wounded, the military added.
Each side blamed the other for the apparent breakdown of the truce, which comes less than two weeks before a national political conference that Mr. Sadr has said he will not attend.
The article notes that al-Sadr is a "polarizing figure" in Iraq who doesn't enjoy unanimous support, but it also notes that "he can unquestionably bring thousands of armed men into the streets."
The link comes via Melanie at Bump who calls this "EXTREMELY bad news." Given the news that Swopa at Needlenose pointed to last night, it may be worse than that.
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has heart trouble and is being treated by a team of specialists, one of his aides said Thursday."He canceled all his meetings for last week and a group of Iraqi cardiologists are looking after him," Hamed Khafaf told Reuters. He said it was the first time Sistani, 73, had experienced heart problems.
Sistani has wide influence over the country's majority Shiites and has been a leading voice of moderation in postwar Iraq, which has been plagued by violence and instability since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein last year.
Sistani is supremely influential among Iraqi Shiites and as Swopa writes:
Whatever his ultimate personal goals for the country might be, he's been the only player in the political drama who's thought about more than just grabbing as much power for himself as soon as possible.
In the event of Sistani's death or incapacitation, he would be replaced by one of three senior ayatollahs. But there could be at least a brief opportunity for al-Sadr to try and assert himself and gain more support. This could get a lot bloodier.
This morning's Paul Krugman column picks up on the media's relative silence towards Iraq.
What About Iraq? By PAUL KRUGMAN; We need to move quickly to end our occupation of Iraq. That means turning real power over to Iraqis.
Basically, the US is losing the war now -- the insurgents are gaining effective control of more and more of the country.
I agree that the idea was to get Iraq out of the headlines. With 130,000+ Americans there, however, it was a futile hope.