[1rudeboy]

Interesting, because I just finished reading Bing West's, The Strongest Tribe (Random House, 2008): he argues that Maliki moved on Basra rashly, and it would have been a resounding defeat for his administration if American forces hadn't pulled the fat out of the fire. I think I recall West saying something about the rate of defections in the Iraqi Army being substantially lower during this campaign.

[1rudeboy]

oops—meaning that the Iraqi Army performed better than in the past, and was beginning to show signs of cohesion.