SADR REAPPEARS….Firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr finally emerged from hiding today:
An emotional crowd surged forward and showered Sadr with candies when he arrived at the western gate of Kufa mosque, surrounded by bodyguards, to deliver the midday sermon for the first time in more than four months.
He began by asking his followers to chant three times: “No to injustice. No to Israel. No to America. No to the devils.” [Note: Juan Cole translates it as “No, no to evil! No, no to America! No, no to Israel! No, no to Satan! No, no to colonialism!”]
“I renew my request that the occupiers should withdraw or schedule their withdrawal,” Sadr said. “The (Iraqi) government should not allow the occupiers to extend their stay in Iraq, not even for one more day.”
I’m guessing this is bad news, right?
