Hypocrisy - Iraqi edition

So Prime Minister Maliki is talking tough on the Sadrist movement and getting a lot of praise in the US/UK for doing so. Sounds good what he says, doesn't it? A political party can't operate in democratic elections if it maintains a militia. Fair point. However, coming from this particular man the critcism of Sadr Mahdi Srmy smacks of oportunism and hypocrisy. Maliki's allies, the SIIC, who happen to be the largest single party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, run their own militia, the Badr Brigade. One difference is that Maliki has decided to use his allies forces and legitimise them by bringing them into the army. This not only fucks off the Sunnis, who increasingly see a Shia government for Shias, but also the large section of Shia society which isn't partisan for the Dawa or the SIIC.

So its okay for your political allies to have militias (if they loan them to you occasionally) but not your enemies. Hmm. Sounds good, huh?