Iraq news not in the Raleigh N & O

With a thank you to Mike Williams, one of the best electronice letter writers I know, here's part of Mike's letter today:

The N&O continues to march in lockstep with the NYT on Iraq:

BAGHDAD - A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.

The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines of a battle undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing….

Tuesday's desertions in Sadr City left many U.S. soldiers wondering about the tenacity of their Iraqi allies….

Bill Roggio has an alternative storyline:

Iraqi and Coalition forces are pressing the fight against the Mahdi Army in northeastern Baghdad and the southern port city of Basrah. Iraqi troops have cleared two Mahdi Army strongholds in Basrah and reportedly have surrounded three others as they prepare to press the operation. In Baghdad, the Iraqi Army and US forces continue to clash with the Mahdi Army while forces have moved into southwestern Sadr City and set up a "demonstration area" to distribute aid and provide local security….

Roggio concludes:

Sadr and his political movement have become increasingly isolated since the fighting began in Basrah, Baghdad, and the South. The Iraqi government, with the support of the political parties, said the Sadrist political movement would not be able to participate in upcoming provincial elections if it failed to disband the Mahdi Army. On April 13, the cabinet approved legislation that prevents political parties with militias from contesting provincial elections this year.

The bill will now be sent to parliament for approval. Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, the senior most Shia cleric in Iraq, said the Mahdi Army was not above the law and should be disarmed.