The Najaf Question

Richard Reeves wrote an excellent article on the current situation in Iraq:

"So what are we doing in Najaf? Is killing the followers of a nasty Shiite preacher, killing them at the gates of the most holy shrine of Shiite Muslims all over the world, vital to the national interests of the United States and its allies? And why is it that we are killing Shiites, the wretched of the earth in the secular Sunni Muslim country of Saddam Hussein? That is the same Saddam who murdered the father of the preacher five years ago. Was that our clear intent and realistic objective in invading Iraq? Would the American people and Congress -- and our allies -- have supported a $200 billion war to get preacher Muqtada al-Sadr?"

The answer is, of course, a resounding no.