The Mess in Iraq

.:Middle East Online::The Mess in Iraq:.: "Sounding like Assad, and like Egypt’s Mubarak earlier, Maliki is blaming conspiracies and foreign elements for the protests, including “enemies of the political process, the armed terrorist groups and the remnants of the former regime,” even though the protests have been led by many thousands of ordinary Iraqis. Muqtada al-Sadr, the rebellious-minded Shiite cleric who’s been a thorn in Maliki’s side for years, is tilting nationalist once again, threatening to support the anti-Maliki protests. “The Iraqi spring is coming,” he said. That’s a portentous comment, since it was support from Sadr that allowed Maliki to assemble his ruling majority in parliament."