Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

But a more serious note comes as former prime minister Ayad Allawi was attacked in Najaf yesterday, reportedly by "supporters of hardline cleric Moqtada al-Sadr":

Allawi also indirectly accused Sadr, saying it was "a similar attack" to the assassination of the late Shiite Ayatollah Abdel Majid al-Khoei, stabbed to death the day after the fall of Baghdad.

Sadr has been accused of ordering the murder. Allawi apparently plans to make Sadr pay for Sunday's attack. He said the next government will track down the attackers; if Allawi wins a leading role in December's elections (as expected) we could have a Sadr vs. Allawi showdown; it would be very bloody.

Just what we need: more bloody showdowns.

Reuters also has Allawi's story, though they call it a "claim," not fact, and indicate Allawi is not directly saying it's Sadr.

So maybe this is true, or maybe it's Allawi instigating things. Or something else.

Whatever it is, it's messy.