One of the many useful services performed by Glenn Reynolds is his chronicling of the relentless decline of Moqtada al-Sadr. Some past instalments
The murders are the first sign of organised Iraqi opposition to Sadr’s presence a apr 29, 04
those who thought Sadr represented a mass movement among Iraqis were seriously mistaken. [May 5, 04]
ANOTHER BAD DAY for the increasingly irrelevant Sadr. [May 26, 04]
SADR’S DECLINE CONTINUES [Jun 17, 04]
And now:
I think it’s time for Glenn to let up on the guy. Hated, with no public support, isolated, irrelevant, outfoxed by the sophisticated Bush and now a lonely fugitive, surely by this time he’s too unimportant for a post.
John Quiggin 
Actually, more relevantly, aren’t Glenn Reynolds chronicles too unimportant to post?
hear, hear!
Insta never relents in his support for the Bush debacle. Here, he con tinues abut the enemies fall when in fact our military should have taken out this dude’s militia a long time ago. But No. We kissed the Prime Minister hypopcritical butt and did nothing. Till now. And so now Insta tells us how ell his mentor is doing!
Really Pr Q, its lowering the critical bar by indulging in gotcha pot-shooting at Instapundit. Like shooting fish in a barrell.
Perhaps Moqtada once stole Glenn’s girlfriend.
Responding to Nick Cohen’s impassioned, but wrong-headed, denunciation of the Left for politically abandoning Iraq would be a better use of your critical talents. A critique of the Left from the Left is always interesting, as fans of C. Wright Mills will attest.
(PS I deny Cohen’s premise, that the post-modernish Left is being ill-ideological in its lack-lustre enthusiasm for the liberal democratic project in Iraq. For one thing, foreign policy always has an un-ideological Machiavellian aspect given the national interest objective.
Also, the Left tends to support low-status, the Right high-status – irrespective of substantial ideological issues. In foreign policy the post-Vietnam war Left has tended to support, or not oppose, lower-status Southern “rogues” in any fight against higher-status-quo Northern powers.
So it is quite logical for the Left to not be too ideologically phased by the Iraqi catastrophe. The higher-status Northern power (the Bush’s US admin) is taking a beating there, which is all to the good from the Left’s perspective.)
You’re right Jack and wilful, but I’m overwhelmed with work at the moment, and I just thought I’d throw this in to amuse you guys until I get time to do something substantive.
I want to say enjoyed the response from John to Jack.
The International Crisis Group have an interesting report on al-Sadr, which is available from:
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4210&l=1
I have gotten the impression that because the Mahdi army have engaged in operations agains the occupation forces, they are portrayed in a less favourable light than the Badr brigades, which are the other Shia militia which has ben accused of human rights abuses, but don’t seem to involved in attacks on US forces.
The irony is that Iran supports the SCIRI and the Badr brigades more than other parties, although their policies are more favourable to the US than other parties. The US gave SCIRI leader al-Hakim the red carpet treatment when he visited the US a few months or so ago.
“A critique of the Left from the Left…”
did you know that nick cohen is considering voting tory at the upcoming london mayoral elections? true story.
Snuh, Cohen’s move could relate more to the current mayor, Red Ken, and his very extreme views on Israel and related matters than to ‘the left’s’ failure to stay moral, coherent, etc. (in cohen’s view). Or Cohen mightn’t like paying the increased congestion charge, a worthwhile global warming intiative that the NSW govt could emulate for Sydney, reversing Bob Carr’s grotesque hand-out to motor commuters.
Or maybe Cohen has grown fat, old and (hence) conservative and seeks to blame his conversion on the left rather than on his own inability to hold his convictions.
Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt y’know.
Thanks – I keep linking back to the original on CT, but it always takes me a few minutes because this is kind of an addendum to that post. I link to that post, because I think it is one of the clearest exposures of Glenn Reynolds simply being wrong about just about everything.