UPDATE # 3 The London Times acknowledges that the Iraqi Army has cleared Bsra of militias and wonders why Maliki won when the British Army couldn’t.
UPDATE #2: The Iraqi Army has now rescued a kidnapped British journalist who had had been held two months by Shia gangs. It looks like they are still cleaning out Basra and Kevin got his hopes for defeat up too soon. This report also contradicts the defeat lobby.
UPDATE: Mickey Kaus Fisks that NYT report that got Kevin Drum so excited and it looks like the Times was wishing too much and reporting too little. Poor Kevin.
This could be the last goalpost in Iraq. If Sadr disbands the Mahdi Army, the civil war may be over. Maliki has stood up to the militias and the Sunnis are ready to join the government in earnest. Kevin Drum will be terribly disappointed.