Iraq War: How bad was it this weekend?

Bad news, any way we look at it.

Juan Cole: The always tense relationship between the Sadrist movement among Iraqi Shiites and the US and its Coalition partners has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. ...So far, about 60% of clashes with Coalition troops had occurred in the Sunni heartland of Iraq. But the violent clashes in Najaf, Baghdad, Amara and Nasiriyah may signal the beginning of a second phase, in which the US faces a two-front war, against both Sunni radicals in the center-north and Shiite militias in the South. The clashes come at a pivotal moment, since on Friday April 9, the Shiite festival of Araba'in will take place, coinciding this year with the anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Josh Marshall: The news from Iraq today of scattered clashes between US/Coalition forces and armed crowds and Shia paramilitaries is the worst news to come out of Iraq for months.

Steve Gilliard: This, of course, is the beginning of the end. We were baited into going after Sadr's top aide and now, there will be days of Shia funerals in Sadr City. How long will it be before other Shia clerics have to rally around Sadr because of these deaths? Once that happens, all our plans for Iraq are over. Now, we have a situation where the Shia have killed seven US soldiers, wounded 24 and driven a wedge between any deal we could have made with Sistani.