Ali, disgruntled former IraqtheModel blogger, now of the Free Iraqi blog decided to comment on the Michael Totten post in which he tells of how he and Christopher Hitchens manage to piss some Iraqis off so badly, they nearly came to blows in a restaurant.
Shorter Ali: You should’ve picked me!
True to form, he comes up with an anecdote to illustrate his point:
Ghassan AL Atiyyah happens to be a friend of my father, not a close one though. This man wants to include the “resistance” in the political process in Iraq. This maybe a good cause if it’s done to save Iraq from further meaningless violence, but the problem is that Mr. Atiyyah sees that the “resistance” has actually done Iraq good by forcing the Americans to work harder!
This reminds me with a conversation I had with a similarly disturbed-minded friend who was hailing the “resistance”. I asked him if he wanted the Americans to leave and he replied, “of course not! That would lead to a disaster” and I said, “then why do you support them in killing Americans?” and he said, “it’s good for us because when they get attacked they work better and faster in rebuilding Iraq since such attacks would show them they’re not doing a good job” I swear to God this was his answer!
Do Muslims swear to God? Just asking. Anyway, here’s the main mistake Americans made in Iraq, according to Ali:
“…such quarrels are avoidable and such impressions could be changed if they had hosted and seeked the assistance of the right Iraqis.
Well, there you go. But, there’s still hope!
I was asked many times what are America’s mistakes in Iraq and I didn’t answer for many reasons. First because I’m truly too grateful to count America’s mistakes, second because I didn’t think this was a policy but rather a mistake out of understandable ignorance and one that would be corrected fast.
But it wasn’t corrected fast! Ali is still blogging and not running things in Iraq. Maybe Ahmed Chalabi needs an aide.
Oh, and lest you be left with the mistaken impression that Ali represented Ghassan AL Atiyyah’s views correctly when he attributes this bizarre view to him – Mr. Atiyyah sees that the “resistance” has actually done Iraq good by forcing the Americans to work harder! – here’s a real quote:
On January 30, 2005, elections will be held for an Iraqi National Assembly, which will draft the new Iraqi constitution. These elections could be instrumental in bolstering the new government and helping Iraq out of its current quagmire. Yet, they must be administered in a manner that does not lead to civil war. In particular, Sunni Arab moderates must be empowered. Although Sunni Arabs are a minority in Iraq, they are still very influential. An Iraq without a role for the Sunni Arabs would be as unworkable as a Lebanon without a role for the Maronites. Sunni Arabs are also needed as a balancing force between the Shiites and the Kurds. Without their active presence in political institutions, Iraq could become polarized between Kurds and extremist Shiites.
Accordingly, Iraqis must reach prior agreement on electoral policies that allow for Sunni Arab participation.
Yeah, I can’t imagine why this “disturbed-minded” guy is more respected than Ali.