Behold the new plan: America will draw, foster and materially support Iraqi factions by distinguishing between "extremists" and "moderates." The distinction relies on a willingness to use violence, according to the Washington Post. And yet.

And yet the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq is a major partner. SCIRI is a radical Islamist organization serving as an adjunct for Iran. It commands a death squad-cum-militia so fearsome that the CPA's doomed anti-militia strategy centered around dismantling it. Internal debates jettisoned a SCIRI-heavy strategy only because it was deemed too difficult to actually oust Nouri al-Maliki. Why does Bush like SCIRI so, even while threatening its Iranian sugar daddy?

SCIRI's own militia, the Badr Organization, is seen as more cohesive, "an actual organization with command and control" that might be integrated into the Iraqi military, said one State Department official. The administration has charged that both the Sadr and Badr militias receive assistance from Iran. But officials regularly note that Badr forces have not attacked the U.S. military and that SCIRI has voiced equal opposition to Iranian and U.S. domination. ...

Several officials said they believe that Hakim's backers in the Bush administration have been seduced by his forceful demeanor and Abdul Mahdi's fluent English. And while many emphasized the importance of a single, visible Iraqi leader, others have said it is a mistake to personalize the policy in one Shiite actor.

See, Adel Abdul Mahdi is the first mainstream Shiite, so clean and so articulate! You guys on the right have convinced me: this strategy is totally going to work! Another thousand dead Americans is worth the experimentation.