CNN: Muqtada al Sadr Left Iraq For Iran

[Hissyspit]

Has been there for 2-3 Weeks via Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. Source: Senior White House administrators.

Hmm...

[ohio2007]

1. a run for the border before it closes?

His spiritual roots are living in Qom I do believe.

[Kikosexy2]

2. And no one...

noticed?...hmmmm?...

[ohio2007]

He didn't want to be caught dead,"hanging" around

Baghdad lately


I know, twisted humor.
but ya never know how far this neighborhood watch program is going to go

[alfredo]

3. He might have been seen by some Shia as a

traitor for rejoining the parliament. Of course he could be there to wait out the surge. Some of his staff have left for Iran. this will make it difficult for the US to off the head of the Madhi brigade.

[IndianaGreen]

4. Iraqi Shias travel to and from Iran

Many of Shia holy sites are in Iran, and Iran is not viewed as some alien country.

Considering what the surge is doing to the Shias in Baghdad, I wouldn't blame Sadr for going to Iran where he would be a lot safer.

[Hissyspit]

6. Yes. I'm thinking this is a WH propaganda attempt.

Wolf is making a big deal about it. His reporters seem to be a bit more reserved about it.

Jack Cafferty: "I'd like to know how he got out of Baghdad."

Wolf: "He has an enormous amount of security including protection from el-Maliki..."

[ecstatic]

5. So I guess we have to bomb Iran now to find one man (just like we did to get Saddam)

:eyes:

I don't believe a word of this crap, by the way.

[Hissyspit]

8. Correspondent Michael Ware being MUCH more skeptical of it.

Kind of pulling the rug out from under the story.

He's gone to Iran "several times in the past, as I understand it."

[rodeodance]

27. Ware knows the inside scoop

[neverforget]

38. The CNN White House correspondent was breathless, almost giddy,

in being the good stenographer putting out the Bush spin on Muqtada in Iran. No questioning of the info, just repeating it with no analysis. I love how the "senior administration officials: said he fled because of the "surge". :rofl: From what I've heard from news reports about the "surge", it's a bust. Thank God Michael Ware was on to give a report on the ground in Iraq with some Iraqi realism instead of Bush spin.

[Megahurtz]

13. Seems like Fabricated Crap in order to Attack Iran. n/t

[mikelgb]

7. pathetic

[rocktivity]

9. He's been there two or three weeks? Wolf Blitzer just said it was a hot breaking story!

And I don't give a damn WHERE Sadr ended up--NOBODY NOTICED that he left the country at least two weeks ago?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Hissyspit]

10. Previous poster is correct. This is pathetic WH propaganda attempt.

At least the CNN correspondents are being appropriately skeptical, despite the drama queen Wolf is being.

[roamer65]

11. Yeah, and I went to Canada three weeks ago for beer.

Sadr went to Iran? Whoopie ding dong.

[Joanne98]

12. Iraqi official now DENIES Sadr in Iran...

[uppityperson]

14. I wonder if he will meet up with Elvis there too?

and they call this news? Right.

[SallyMander]

15. Breaking on CNN

Top of the screen headline, no linked article yet:


"Militant Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has left Iraq and has been in Iran for at least two weeks, senior U.S. administration sources tell CNN. Sources close to al-Sadr deny he is in Iran."


Scaaaarrrryyyy....

Edited for a typo!

[RobertSeattle]

16. ...Followed by "Anna Nicole still dead"

/sarcasm

[SallyMander]

19. I can't BELIEVE that cr@p is still being covered... eom

[antiimperialist]

23. .

.

[antiimperialist]

24. Very suspicious timing coinciding with surge debate

We will have to wait and see how this story develops.

[antiimperialist]

26. he move probably is not permanent, the official said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/13/iraq/main2466853.shtml

[antiimperialist]

37. Al Sadr planning TV appearance soon (NY Times)

An aide to Mr. Sadr, reached by telephone on Tuesday night, denied that Mr. Sadr had left Iraq and said that the cleric was planning a televised address in the next several says.

whole story

[ohio2007]

17. it's all the rage these days, getting out of Iraq

[spinbaby]

18. That story's already broken

Here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2729658

But you get points for enthusiasm.

[hippiechick]

20. Oh of course he's in Iran ...

... we need at least one other reason to bomb the snot out of an innocent country ...


:eyes:

[LonelyLRLiberal]

21. Sure thing - just another reason to drop a bomb or two or three or thousand.

This evil gang scares the hell out of me.

[antiimperialist]

22. So who caused the violence in the past 2 weeks he was absent?

Al Sadr is not in control of the Mahdi army

[killbotfactory]

25. So?

Is he the one who killed Anna Nicole Smith?

[A Brand New World]

28. No - but he's the latest possible father!

[Amonester]

41. Last I saw, he's the one who killed (or "hanged") Saddam.

It's no surprise he may be kind of "popular" at "celebrating-partys" near the border...
Although, I'm not saying they may celebrate him the same way we celebrate heroes here.

Vive la résistance?

[HuffleClaw]

29. are they serious?

i'm dubious

[rodeodance]

30. Anti-American cleric flees Iraq for Iran-Sadr

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/sadr_iran;_ylt=Aj65lGh3IbWy7fMNV0Ll2Oas0NUE


Anti-American cleric flees Iraq for Iran

By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer 56 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr fled
Iraq for Iran ahead of a security crackdown in Baghdad and the arrival of 21,500 U.S. troops sent by President Bush to quell sectarian violence, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.


Al-Sadr left his Baghdad stronghold some weeks ago, the official said, and is believed to be in Tehran, where he has family. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. monitoring activities, said fractures in al-Sadr's political and militia operations may be part of the reason for his departure. The move is not believed to be permanent, the official said.

Word of al-Sadr's departure coincides with an announcement that Iraq will close its borders with Iran and
Syria for 72 hours as part of the drive to end the violence that has threatened to divide the capital along sectarian lines.

The U.S. official said it is not clear how firmly the radical Shiite cleric is controlling his organization and the associated Mahdi Army militia from exile.

[bluerum]

31. Hey - I thought we "got" this guy months ago!! Great. Now we will

HAVE to go into Iran. All the damn Iraqi insurgents will be hiding behind rocks just over the border, building IED's and giving them to kids to carry back over into Iraq.

Damn.

Just damn.

[pocoloco]

32. Why just 72 hours

What am I missing here?

[Tin Man]

34. 72 hours not long enough to stop weapons, but long enough to stop Al Sadr's escape

[rocktivity]

35. But he left at least two weeks ago!

WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY NOTICE THAT SADR LEFT IRAQ AT LEAST TWO WEEKS AGO????

:banghead:
rocknation

[Tin Man]

36. ...well, that's what they're *claiming* anyway

[Trajan]

33. Ah ... 72 hour lockdown .....

Maybe they can have a locker inspection too ....

I see plastic sporks in Iraq's future .....

[ShortnFiery]

39. I found it comical that CNN was reporting this as "Breaking News"

After all, the dude's been in Iran for 2-3 weeks now. Can you say, for a fact, that he may NOT catch the next flight back? Methinks this is all a part of our Idiot King's waltz to build up hatred for Iran. :shrug:

[FVZA_Colonel]

42. If he is there, the claim will be made that Iran is harboring a terrorist.

I guarantee it.

[humbled_opinion]

40. Nothing but political spin to try and scare the Democrats debating

the surge in the House and Senate... You will start seeing Bushies jumping up and down saying the surge is working... We need to get some factual reporting on this to counter.

[OKNancy]

43. kick

[JackCo]

44. Ok

He's been there for weeks but yet it is just now important enough to be newsworthy. Seems like another convenient news plant to up the Iran agenda.

[deaniac21]

45. The sooner Iran gets nuclear weapons the quicker all of our

imperialism in the ME will end. Iran will be the savior of peace in that region and there is nothing this evil administration can do about it!