New York Times: Editorial Moktada al-Sadr’s Gambit

Excerpt:
"Just when it looked as if the Iraqi government had sunk as low as it could go, it sank still further, following a brazen power play by Moktada al-Sadr.

Until now Mr. Sadr, a virulently anti-American cleric with an unquenchable appetite for attention and power, had been Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s strongest political ally. But on Monday, at his direction, his party’s six ministers quit the Maliki cabinet. The government still depends on the parliamentary votes of Mr. Sadr’s party, the largest faction in the ruling Shiite bloc.

Mr. Maliki, a colorless and ineffective politician, has been prime minister for the past year. But from the beginning, his authority has depended on the backing of Mr. Sadr, a charismatic demagogue with an intimidating private army, a potent political party and an impressive capacity for sending his followers into the street."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/opinion/18weds1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Alex

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