Upon returning from several years of "self-imposed" exile in Iran--which the "firebrand" cleric chose after two uprisings by his Mahdi Army militia were badly defeated--Muqtada al Sadr declared, "We are still fighters," and has threatened attacks if US forces remain in Iraq past 2011.

Iraqi troops asserted control over the Basra neighborhoods that had been Sadrist "strongholds" and continue to make progress.

With al Qaeda weakened, Iran's regime continues to pose a problem for American forces in Iraq.

The regime in Tehran overreacts to peaceful women's rights protests.

As violence provoked by Muqtada al-Sadr's fringe Jaysh al-Mahdi militia enters its third day, Washington remains in a frenzy of misplaced panic.

The decision to confront the Muqtada al-Sadr's challenge to rule-of-law and liberty will cause a short-term spike in violence, but lead to long-term improvement.

Here's what success in Iraq looks like: democratic elections, sectarian comity, independence in foreign policy, al Qaeda stymied, cooperating with the United States, and self sufficiency. Iraq didn't look completely like that in early 2011, but it was headed in the right direction.

We’ve left Iraq in a bottle with three scorpions–with no help from us except kind words.