Demosophist
2007-06-04 18:33:53
The fact that Sadr “skedaddled” at the point when the Americans were just getting around to dealing with him suggests that his actual status is not as high as one might think. But the primary issue has to be misdirection, or the ability of the coalition to make it appear that Scenario A is developing while the reality is Scenario B. The presumption is that Sadr is strong, or at least stronger, by virtue of his sojourn to Persia. It may be useful to have the Iranians believe that, and it also might be useful to have Sadr convinced of that. The more they meander across the landscape the more likely it is that they’ll fall into a pit. It’s good when your enemy is overconfident.
