Re: Sadr
I suppose I know that there isn't any hope for a western style democracy in Iraq. When I envision the best case scenario for Iraq, I'm thinking in terms of Saudi Arabia: a fundamentalist regime that nevertheless sells us oil and doesn't actively aid terrorists like the Taliban.
The worst case scenario would be the Taliban: actively supporting terrorists and brutally oppressing minorities and pretty much stuck it to us whenever they could.
The median outcome I envision is a government similar to Syria: not actively sponsoring anti-US terror and occasionally helpful, but still a big pain in the butt in the region. Its this median outcome that I think Sadr would follow if he ever gained control.
Ed, although I suppose your're right about us never leaving, our presence will eventually be reduced to what we had in Saudi Arabia: a friendly government allowing us to have our bases as long as we stayed on them in order to appease the populace. Although, if Sadr did gain control, I doubt he would let us stay at our bases.
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