Informed Speculation

…that, by all accounts, the mandatory curfew measures appear to have greatly calmed the situation in Iraq:

There were a few signs that the storm could pass.

Shihab al-Badri, a member of the Muslim Scholars Association, an influential group of Sunni clerics, said that they had been approached by Shiite leaders in Diyala province. They had asked to hold a united prayer, and Badri said that Sunnis endorsed it. “This united prayer will be a tool to strike anyone wants to create sectarian strife in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the sheikh at the Rawi mosque urged his congregation to act with restraint. He quoted from the Koran: “If two groups of Muslims are fighting each other, then try to reconcile. If they are not successful, fight the one who is wrong until he comes back to the realm of God.”

The Administration doesn’t appear to be whitewashing the situation; today the American ambassador had words of caution:

Mr. Khalilzad, in a conference call with reporters, said:”What we’ve seen in the past two days, the attack has had a major impact here, getting everyone’s attention that Iraq is in danger.”

The country’s leaders, he added, “must come together, they must compromise with each other to bring the people of Iraq together and save this country.”

Mr. Khalilzad’s comments are the most explicit acknowledgment so far by an American official of the instability of the situation. The killings and assaults across Iraq that began Wednesday have amounted to the worst sectarian violence since the American invasion.

In Washington, President Bush also acknowledged the country’s current instability, saying these were “difficult and exhausting days” for Iraq.

“We can expect the coming days will be intense,” he told a gathering of the American Legion. “Iraq remains a serious situation. But I’m optimistic.”