Arming Both Sides

Reading this article this morning, it's becoming ever clearer that the US is effectively arming both sides in Iraq's civil conflict. The policy of enlisting and arming Sunni militias and tribes to fight al-Qaeda enrages al-Maliki and has become a huge source of friction between him and Petreaus. Meanwhile, there's no question that the Iraqi military and police forces--the main recipients of US assistance--are viewed by Sunnis as Shiite and sectarian. Whenever we do leave, we're just going to be leaving behind better armed forces on both sides.