This is from guardian:

i'm really not clear on why the US is even negotiating with the rebels. the rebels must understand that the only thing stopping the US from obliterating them completely is their sensitivity to islamic culture. there must be a realization on the part of the US that the arab street is asleep, and that those who hate them will not hate them more or less if a mosque or holy city is damaged.the enemy attacks during our christmas, our elections, our truces...and in one case, the church of the nativity, but we are sensitive to fighting near their holy areas. why?

i am glad that the US has cordoned off fallujah and is now razing the city. is it wrong to say that? the women and children have had a chance to leave and fighting age men are left. this is the population that is attacking the US, not just their fighters, but their city. it is they who are attempting cowardly ambush after ambush and they who must suffer. not a collective punishment, per se, but at least attack the town itself, if not the innocents.

in brief, the war itself was too short. the enemy population that were attempting to shut the US down were not subdued. this isn't like ww2, where the germans suffered for years on end before deciding that yes, they lost. the sunnis have never felt that. after 3 weeks, not a whole lot of breaking of the rebel spirit went on. they need to see what the consequences are of messing with the west. no half stepping. no sensitivity. no mercy for the guilty. this is it. this is their dresden.

as for sadr: its ending. your rebels have lost too many fights all over the country, and whether or not you surrender, you're done. you thought that your ignorant, illiterate ass could take on the west and you're wrong. i personally hope you fight the US, because you are about to get whooped. you are the new saddam. enjoy your 15 minutes.

Al-Sadr 'drops conditions for US talks'

George Wright and agencies
Wednesday April 14, 2004

Hopes of a peaceful solution to the stand-off between Moqtada al-Sadr and the US military today rose after the radical Shia cleric reportedly dropped his conditions for entering talks with the US-led coalition that vowed to "kill or capture" him.
Mr Sadr has relinquished his demands for the withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraqi cities and the release of captured Shia insurgents, according to a close aide.

Qais al-Khazaali told a press conference that Mr Sadr, whose Mahdi Army militia has led violent uprisings against US-led troops in Shia towns and cities across southern Iraq, is now willing to follow the guidance of the Shia Marjaiya - the supreme religious authority - in his dealings with the US.

"Moqtada Sadr is ready to accept what the Marjaiya asks for, and to drop the conditions he had set for a mediation," Mr Khazaali told a press conference in Najaf, where Mr Sadr is holed up with hundreds of his fighters.

Earlier, another of Mr Sadr's representatives, Abdelkarim al-Anzi, told Reuters that the outlawed leader had made "positive proposals" to end the crisis.

The situation has seen 2,500 US troops mass on the edge of Najaf in apparent preparation for what the US president, George Bush, referred to as "decisive action".

Mr Anzi said he could not disclose the details of Mr Sadr's latest proposal, but added that the cleric "realises that an armed confrontation is not in anybody's interest".

The development came as an official Iranian delegation arrived in Baghdad to mediate between US officials and Mr Sadr, who is wanted by coalition authorities in connection with the murder of a rival Shia cleric last year.

There was no immediate coalition response to the reported dropping of Mr Sadr's demands, but it will be keen to avoid the military and political repercussions likely follow any attack on Mr Sadr's base, which is near one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.