Sadr's Acquiescence

Al-Sadr suspends militia activity in Iraq

BAGHDAD - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, and it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops, aides said Wednesday.

Captain's Quarters: Sadr Backs Down

The cycle of violence already seems to be slowing down. Having the Mahdis sidelined will mean less violence in Baghdad, where the militias had ruled the streets until the Americans decided to conduct their aggressive strategy starting in February. It may also mean a capitulation in the south, where the Mahdis had battled against the Badr Brigade for control after the British pullout.

A Second Hand Conjecture:

But the Iraq war is lost, he needs to buck up and keep listening to the Democrats...

Don Surber: How do you say “No mas” in Arabic?

The Huffington Post [commenter]:

If this guy takes over he's gonna be a meaner badder SOB than Saddam ever was. All this blood and carnage to replace one brutal thug for another. Was it worth it King George???

First State Politics: Mahdi Army Stands Down

Mark Talk: Enemy Retreats In Iraq

Innocent Bystanders: The Beginning of the End?

Bill Roggio explains all the players in Sadr's Mahdi Army.

The Belmont Club thinks this can only mean that Sadr is probably up to no good.

But the liberal blog readers see it differently. Over at The Huffington Post [commenter]:

If this guy takes over he's gonna be a meaner badder SOB than Saddam ever was. All this blood and carnage to replace one brutal thug for another. Was it worth it King George???

Sadr's surrender is yet another win for the U.S. military, and for the Iraqi government, which is trying to fully gain control. Consequently, Sadr's move deals a blow to insurgents who pray to Allah for greater chaos, and for Democrats, whose political fortunes are staked on the failure and implosion of the Iraqi state, followed by greater violence and bloodshed.