Muqtada al-Sadr's decision to withdraw from the Shiite bloc

Muqtada al-Sadr's decision to withdraw from the Shiite bloc is the most dramatic sign of the transformation in Iraqi politics. Old alliances are fraying, new ones are forming. That makes any progress on U.S.-sought political deals even less likely until the power shuffling plays itself out. On the bright side, the reshuffling could eventually have a positive effect, setting up firmer coalitions more willing to compromise. But the delay is likely to add to frustration over the war within the United States, which had hoped that the "government of national unity" would encourage Sunni and Shiite extremists to stop fighting and join the political process.