SOFA and the "Monkeys"

I know this is a strange title of sorts... What is the relation between the Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and monkeys?!

As you know, there is so much talking nowadays about the Iraqi-US Agreement that outlines the Status of US Forces in Iraq after the expiration of the UN mandate on 31 Dec. 2008.

Now who are the monkeys, you may wonder.

There is an Iraqi proverb, describing someone whose reactions are not based on principle or common sense, but on narrow perspective of personal interests. The proverb cannot be translated word-for-word without triggering a beeper, if you know what i mean, but you'll find a description of the offensive word in italics.

"They are like a monkey: If you give it, it would put its hand on its head; if you don't, it would put its hand on what's below its tail."

Now this proverb fits two Iraqi "politicians" who wear the fake mask of religion, and who were two of the bloodiest killers who killed tens of thousands of Iraqis since the Invasion. Muqtada Al-Sadr & Harith Al-Dhari.

Although the first is a Shiite, and the second is a Sunni; but each of them orchestrated a stupid, stupid policy.

As for Al-Dhari, many if not all of the Sunnis that i know, blame him for the "marginalization" of Sunnis in the post-war political life in Iraq. When there was a very good chance for the Sunnis to get into the political process, he came with this idea that "no political process is legitimate under the occupation"; and i don't know how he and his bunch of pro-Saddamist turbans who spend their days and months in the luxurious hotels of Amman could not just look to their adjacent West, and see that there was a jolly good political process in occupied (since 1967) Palestine, and that their next of kin Islamists of Hamas have had a good percentage of seats in the Palestinian parliament before the crap hit the fan, and still nonindependent Palestine became North Palestine and South Palestine, or East Palestine and West Palestine, or as we know them as West Bank and Gaza Strip. And they complain of double standards!

As for Muqtada, who is "supposedly" Shiite, he did nothing, absolutely nothing but ruin what the Shiites have gained since the war. He was the reason for distructing Sadr City and Najaf twice. And his gangs, so called the Mahdi Army, were on the verge of distructing on of the holiest Shiite Shrines in Kerbala in August 2007.

Now both Al-Dhari and Muqdata spent about four years of their "oh so very pious" lives, and actually kicked and screamed, demanding for a scheduled withdrawal of US and other Allied Forces from Iraq; and, when such an agreement is closer than ever, they denounce the agreement as a "disgrace". 

I have read the first draft of the agreement as published on the official Iraqi newspaper Al-Sabah, and i found that it looks good. No forces will stay in Iraq after the end of 2011. No raids will be launched from or pass through Iraq. No US Army breaking into Iraqi houses without prior judicial approvals. No immunity for the Security Contractors who usually went haywire whenever and however they wanted to without reporting to anyone and without any code of conduct unlike the official Armed Forces. 

So what do the "Resistants" want?!

God only knows.

What we, as simple Iraqis know is that we want the best for our country, and we don't really care about what Muqtada or Al-Dhari want if it is not what is good for Iraq. Right now, their hands are way below their tails!