Credit where it's due

On the other hand (see below), even a public relations shop run by Republican operatives has to make the occasional concession. Hence this statement from Multinational Forces Iraq reacting to events from several days ago but planted into the US Labor Day holiday news cycle --

The recent declaration by Muqtada al-Sadr calling on all members of Jaysh al-Mahdi to end their violence is encouraging. It is particularly notable that Sadr gave his word of honor that Jaysh al-Mahdi will stop attacks.

After all the fulminations that have been done for the last 4 years about al-Sadr, having to refer to his "word of honor" must have hurt.

While there's no doubt that al-Sadr's ceasefire will help, the strategic calculations behind it should worry the US and the UK. Because he can achieve several goals with a ceasefire: making things quiet enough in Basra for the British to fully withdraw, rearm and regroup to take on rogue Mahdi Army units, and in the meantime let the US deal with al Qaeda north and west of Baghdad. And then decide what to do with the Sunni insurgents that the US financed and equipped to help it in that struggle.

UPDATE 4 SEPTEMBER: The honor theme continues for al-Sadr from another MNF-I press release: commitment of honor ... it appears many honorable members of Jaysh al-Mahdi are fulfilling Sadr’s pledge of honor to stop attacks and reduce the violence ...