Sure You Can Do it With the Sunnis...

Critics of the war in Iraq have suggested that it was relatively simple to pacify Sunni fighters in Iraq who had become disaffected with Al Qaeda in Iraq, but that it would prove much harder to bring to heel the Shia militias. Former Spook says that with some Sunni insurgents having laid down their weapons, more troops are available to tackle the problem of the Shia:

But the article fails to mention that the surge will (likely) achieve similar results with the Shiites. With Al Qaida in retreat--and a mountain of new intelligence--U.S. commanders can devote more resources to the Shia "problem" and their Iranian support network. Last week's highly-publicized strike in Sadr City targeted a Shia/Iranian EFT cell, resulting in the deaths of 32 terrorists. We also learned last week that "Mookie" al-Sadr has high-tailed it to Iran (again), suggesting that Shia militants--and their leaders--are feeling the heat.

Make no mistake: the battle for Iraq is far from over. But the tide of battle has clearly shifted, creating problems for Al Qaida and its allies, various Shiite militant factions, and members of the American left, who long ago cast their lot with a U.S. military defeat in Iraq.

File it under the 'it would be nice if true' file.