The Prince

My father made a fantastic point last night about Fallujah and Mogtada al-Sadr, and an article in this morning's NY Post only reinforced his point (maybe my Dad should be a columnist?). His point was that the people who are following this bonehead clearly haven't read much Machiavelli. Here's the excerpt that I think reinforces his point:

"...Muqtada is too young to claim the coveted theological title of "Marjaa al-Taqlid" (Source of Emulation) for himself. Nor can he circumvent the two dozen or so senior ayatollahs who dominate the Shiite seminaries throughout Iraq. He is, therefore, trying to make up for his lack of theological gravitas by flexing his political muscles.

To play a political role, Sadr needs a role in the script written by the Coalition Provisional Authority. But Sadr has been excluded from that script and almost forced to act as a loose cannon. Last year, when the Iraqi Governing Council was being set up, Sadr at first excluded himself because he believed he could seize control of the Shiite heartland and present the Coalition with a fait accompli. When he realized that this wouldn't happen, he sought a place in the council. But those who had already joined refused to have him, and the Coalition sided with them."

So basically this dope thought he deserved a spot in the CPA, but didn't step forward. Then when he realized the folly of his plan, he tried to get in and was refused. It's reminiscent of the late 1920s-early 1930s when the Nazis repeatedly attempted to get a representative elected to the Bundestag, but after repeated losses decided to build a following and storm the Bundestag building instead.