U.S., Shi'ite leaders facing risky choices in Iraq

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05199706.htm

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - Iraq is at a critical moment after a weekend explosion of Shi'ite violence and the United States and majority Shiites are now confronting risky new choices.

President George W. Bush and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's leading religious figure, are under pressure to react to the uprising by armed supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a junior cleric with a growing following among the poorest Shi'ites. snip

"This worries me a great deal because Sistani is crucial for Iraq's stability. (Sadr) is positioning himself in a a very good place to eclipse not only Sistani but all the other grand ayatollahs. He could be the first Shi'ite Saddam (Hussein) in history," said Baram, a senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace. snip

Baram said Washington must move against Sadr or risk being despised and emboldening him.

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1. "risk being despised"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...
Good one, thanks.

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2. Bloody festival?

"The problem is even trickier because April 12 is the second holiest religious day for Shi'ites, an emotional time when as many as 3 million Shi'ites will be on pilgrimages ." IBID

I hope this isn't the one where they all beat themselves bloody.