OVER AT TECHCENTRALSTATION, Jay Currie and Ilya Shapiro have thoughts on what’s happening in Iraq. You can follow the news at The Command Post, where it’s being reported that Syrian fighters have been captured among the “rebels,” and a top aide to Sadr has been killed.

UPDATE: Austin Bay has a column on this, too:

It’s no Mogadishu, it’s no Tet — in fact, the ugly, baiting murders in Fallujah and Muqtada al-Sadr’s made-for-Tv rebellion may be an extraordinary opportunity for the United States and Iraqi democrats, if the military operations and politics are handled with finesse. . . .

The Fallujah massacre and al-Sadr’s riots are calculated, violent acts orchestrated by desperate thugs confronting imminent loss of power. An Iraqi democracy threatens the sorry lot of them, so they’re taken their best shot at halting the process. . . .

It’s now up to U.S. forces in Iraq, and available Iraqi security units, to provide a new televised precedent, an icy “city and neighborhood squeeze” documented on camera. In military terms, the U.S. and Iraqi forces will be conducting large-scale cordon and search operations (in Fallujah and in Sadr’s alleys), supported by raids and limited attacks on diehard strong-points. Politically, the operation becomes a peculiar “show of force”: Post 9-11, the challenge of thugs angling for “body bag” media victories will be met and trumped.

The Marines’ Operation Vigilant Resolve in Fallujah appears to have this strategic goal in mind.

Read the whole thing.