HERE’S WHAT IRAN GOT for its $80 Million:

The fiery radical at the heart of Iraq’s Shia revolt sued for peace yesterday, buckling under the twin pressures of a massive build-up of American forces near his base and demands for moderation from the country’s ayatollahs.

Not quite Vietnam, Senator Kennedy. The second of those pressures is probably the most significant positive sign.

UPDATE: The Japanese government stood firm, and the Japanese hostages have been released.