Shiites resist isolating Sadr

Los Angeles Times reported One of Iraq's most influential Shiite clerics rejected a U.S.-backed proposal to isolate Shiite extremists in the national government, saying the country should govern itself with the help of anti-U.S. firebrand Muqtada Sadr, according to politicians who spoke with the cleric Saturday.

I wish Sistani would publically appear and say what he really thinks. He only speaks through other people, and they twist what he said to what they want.

Shiite politicians met with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in this Shiite holy city, and then said they had thrown their support behind Sadr, who demands a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq rather than the temporary increase under consideration in Washington.

If al Sadr is to be left alone, we should pull out; if they will let us go after him, we should stay and do it.

"The Sadr movement is part of Iraqi affairs," said Haider Abadi, a leader of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's Islamic Dawa Party. "We won't allow others to interfere to weaken any Iraqi political movement." Ali Adeeb, another member of the Dawa Party, said Shiite leaders, including the prime minister, would resist U.S. efforts to sideline Sadr and his Al Mahdi army.

The Shia like the ethnic cleansing that Sadr is doing, killing Sunnis in Baghdad, turning it into a strictly Shia city. But if that is going to continue, we should pull out.