Well, that did not take long. While Time magazine declared Sadr and his Sadrists victors in their efforts to surrender and sue for peace with the Maliki Government, I asked the core question about events in Iraq – who controls the Mahdi Army, Sadr or Iran? Well, if you go by the NY Times it clearly is not Sadr:

A column of Iraqi armor set out on Sunday to test a new truce in the Sadr City area of Baghdad between the militias and the Iraqi government by venturing north on a major thoroughfare that borders the Shiite enclave.

But the Iraqi forces had barely started to move when they were struck by three roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.’s, as the military calls them.

As Sadr City and Iraqi government negotiators struggled to complete the cease-fire agreement, the scene was a vivid demonstration that a durable accord in the densely populated neighborhood, where intense fighting has been going on for more than a month, had yet to be achieved.

“They promised that there would not be any explosions, that people would show us where the I.E.D.’s are,” said a combat engineer with the Ninth Iraqi Army Division who identified himself as Colonel Alaa. “In 10 meters three I.E.D.’s exploded on us.”

…

Putting the accord to the test, at least at this early stage, was another matter. In recent weeks, Iraqi and American commanders have said that much of the fighting has been carried out by Iranian-backed “special groups” that appear to have little interest in reconciling with the Iraqi government despite assertions from Iranian officials that they are encouraging a peaceful outcome.

There appeared to be other complications as well. Bassim Sharif, a leader of the Fadhila party, a rival of Mr. Sadr’s party, said he believed that the Sadrists were behind the cancellation of the announcement because some of them were “not happy with some of the items of the agreement, probably the handing over of weapons and wanted men.”

Ali Adeeb, a Parliament member from the Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, said the Sadrist members of Parliament appeared to be having trouble bringing their armed wing on board.

“The Sadrists M.P.’s have a problem persuading their armed people to listen to them,” he said. “However they have four days of calm, and they will use that time to convince them to stop fighting. We believe that some groups will keep fighting and not observe the cease-fire because they are worried about being arrested.”

They lied. That’s what Islamo Fascists do – they lie. It goes with their killing, torturing and raping. They will do anything for power. Anything. As I noted before only three groups now benefit from bloodhsed in Iraq: Islamo Fascists in the Mahdi Army and al-Qaeda, Iran and the western liberal news media looking for another Vietnam to vindicate years of predicting the US was wrong and will go down in defeat in Iraq. Seems pretty clear who is on what side of the issues now. Each will spin the new bloodshed not as a defeat for Sadrist exposed as powerless leaders of thugs and killers, but as a victory for them as they become isolated in Iraq, more enemy than ally.

On the streets of Sadr City on Sunday, there were signs that the accord was not in place.

When Lt. Gen. Abud Qanbar, the commander of forces in the Baghdad area, and Maj. Gen. Mizher al-Azawi, who leads the 11th Iraqi Army Division, toured the southern section of Sadr City early Sunday morning, Iraqi soldiers reported that some of the mosques had been blaring messages assailing the accord and urging residents not to allow Iraqi troops in.

Along Al Quds Street there was no break in the fighting. An Iraqi solder was wounded by a sniper near one forward position. A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a different Iraqi strongpoint that is jointly operated with the Americans. There were loud explosions as American “route clearance” teams found and detonated roadside bombs.

Important questions remained late Sunday about whether the truce would be patched up soon and which groups in Sadr City would honor it if it was. Another problem was how long the Maliki government would wait if a durable truce could not be achieved before sending the Iraqi troops north of Al Quds Street.

At least some residents were not waiting for an answer. On Sunday morning, streams of cars could be seen leaving Sadr City.

With the charade over and the people of Iraq abandoning the fascist Sadr and his thugs had their chance to prove the media right, to demonstrate they were not simply brutal killers but a legitimate counter movement to the US. Clearly the liberal media has made a pact with the devil – and his killers. But the Mahdi Army will go down to defeat, just as it did in Basra.

Three hundred miles south of Baghdad, the oil-saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own surge, now seven weeks old.

In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city, to the initial surprise and growing delight of many inhabitants who only a month ago shuddered under deadly clashes between Iraqi troops and Shiite militias.

That is the destiny of the Islamo Fascists, the dustbin of history’s “most foul” collection.