By BENNY AVNI, Special to the Sun | January 3, 2020
Qassem Soleimani’s demise came as his life project — spreading the Islamic Republic’s zeal in the Mideast and beyond — was crumbling. That doesn’t mean the Iranian general couldn’t, or wouldn’t, have wreaked the kind of harm that the Trump administration felt it needed to preempt. It may even explain why Soleimani has been on such a manic campaign.
In any event, shortly after the drone kill at Baghdad airport was confirmed, Secretary of State Pompeo re-tweeted a video of gleeful Iraqis who had awakened at at 4:30 a.m. in Baghdad and proceeded to march at the city’s Tahrir Square. There they celebrated the death of the arch-terrorist who sought to dominate their country.
Others in the region, and in Iran itself, similarly feted the demise of the man the Washington Post awkwardly called Iran’s “most admired military leader.” Oh, there have been cries of pain and outrage and vows for revenge. That, though, is coming mostly from dependents of Soleimani’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and their zealous followers. It may be a minority, but it’s not nothing.
Some Americans held their applause as well. According to the Pentagon, Soleimani was planning a major, imminent attack on American targets at the time of his demise. Yet, the leading Democratic presidential contender, Joe Biden, saw a different provocateur, writing that by ordering Soleimani killed, President Trump had just “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox.” That’s Biden-speak for if it all goes south, it’s Mr. Trump’s fault.
At least the ex-vice president is consistent. He was the only member of President Obama’s inner circle to oppose — and for similar reasons as he is opposing the attack on Soleimani the killing of Osama bin Laden. What, though, about all those who cheered Mr. Obama then, only to wring their hands today over the prospect that Mr. Trump is about to unleash a Mideast Armageddon?............To Read More....
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