“FAILURE THIS, FAILURE THAT”

Najaf: “I'd say this thing is moving toward an epochal confrontation” (Juan Cole)

http://www.tnr.com/blog/iraqd?pid=1941
Sadr isn't the only one whose behavior follows a general outline. (Provoke a crisis; display yourself as a symbol of resistance to the occupation; force your adversaries into a position where their military options carry potentially prohibitive