From the beginning, stories seemed to cast blame on Maliki for highlighting the divisions rather than wondering if Hashemi--as many Sunni Arabs have been--was involved in terrorism.
I just wanted justice whether Hashemi is innocent or guilty.
Strategypage writes that Hashemi was hip-deep in supporting terrorists:
The government says that some of the bodyguards of Sunni Arab vice president Tariq al Hashimi, who is accused of running a death squad and other terrorist activities, confessed that their group committed 150 assassinations and bomb attacks over the last three years. The national government has arrested dozens of bodyguards and other associates of Hashimi and charged them with being behind the many assassinations of Shia government officials. The government demands that Sunni Arab politicians halt support for terrorists in their communities. Hashimi fled to sanctuary in the Kurdish north and insists he is innocent. He has since moved to Qatar, then Saudi Arabia and now Turkey. Sunni politicians outside Iraq tend to support Hashimi, but the evidence that he was involved in terrorism, is pretty strong. Most Sunni Arab politicians in Iraq have been involved (as leaders or participants) in terrorism, sometimes for self-defense, but mostly for political gain in the Sunni community.
Sunni Arabs cannot be shielded from continuing to support terrorism. Sure, they can have immunity for pre-Awakening terrorism as an ugly price to pay for getting the Sunni Arabs to turn on al Qaeda, but that has to stop.
We shall see if Hashemi returns from abroad to face justice. But his subordinates will face trial. And I imagine they'll talk if it gets them better sentences or even dismissals of charges.
UPDATE: Scheduled posting is still loopy. Sorry.
