The Rice Maliki gamble.

Rice supports Maliki,s drive against Sadr,s militia. Maliki obviously believes that together with the U.S. he can defeat Sadr as a political force in Iraq and stop him from making big gains in the next elections. Rice is going along even though this is bound to create more casualties for the U.S. as it will be called upon to should much of the burden for the attacks. In effect if Sadr calls off his truce as he is threatening to do unless Maliki desists there will be civil war in parts of Iraq. Many commetators fail to notice that it is only the Sadr,s militia that is a target. Maliki,s Badr brigades are not touched and many of them are already integrated into the Iraqi forces or police.