Sadr City is a rather large slum area in eastern Baghdad that is probably 100% Shi’ite at this point. It’s probably about the size of West Philly, but has nothing like the University of Pennsylvania. I know it is Thanksgiving and we would all like to think happy thoughts and enjoy good times with our families. I’m just trying to imagine what it must be like to live in Sadr City today. CNN reports that 133 people in that neighborhood have been killed today, and another 201 have been injured. This has been a very bloody week in Baghdad.
More than 140 bodies were found dumped across Baghdad from Monday through Wednesday, police said. Of the 52 bullet-riddled bodies found Wednesday, 20 were blindfolded, tied up and possibly tortured, police said.
I don’t know if the Bush regime will ever have to take responsibility for this. I know they should be held accountable. Cheney is traveling to Saudi Arabia tomorrow and Bush will visit Jordan next week to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki.
I have one observation. Both the Shi’ite community and the Iraqi government are under sustained attack from the Sunni minority. This is both a civil and a sectarian war, and it can only be won if the Shi’a can impose their will and force the Sunnis to sue for peace. We do not want any part of this. Our allies in the region are Sunnis and they will not stand for us taking the side of the Shi’a.
We have to give up on positively effecting the outcome on Iraq. I suggest immediately calling a conference that includes the Egyptians, Saudis, Turks, Syrians, Kuwaitis, and Iranians. We must devise a plan for stopping this sectarian war. The political questions cannot be glossed over, but we must appeal to people’s humanitarian spirit. This bloodshed must be stopped somehow. That needs to take precedence over the geo-political questions now.
