The "Uprising"

There has been much noise in the last few days about the "uprising" in Iraq of Sadr and his militia. And while it is a major military operation for US forces, it is in no way a civil war or mass insurrection. In fact, it is probably a good thing that it is happening now, as opposed to after sovereignty is turned over to Iraqis. David Warren in his very concise column describes exactly what needs to be done:

"Therefore, if the Americans and their friends want to create a constitutional order, they must be the most ruthless. They cannot possibly "negotiate" with the fanatics, the only practical option is to slaughter them. It is also the only moral option, for the alternative is to leave Iraq 's innocents to be ploughed under fresh killing fields."

The US knows that it can not withdraw, and therefore will do precisely what Warren describes.