Sadr was never a US ally, but at least he kept a low profile until Bremer decided to 'deal' with him. And the latter onkly started with the newspaper closure - then came the tanks rolling over unarmed Sadrist protesters (which, if reported at all, was framed as fanatics jumping before tanks - now contrast that with the coverage of the Tiennamen Square massacre...), then arrests of local Sadrist leaders, finally with aggressive military moves near Sadr's house. That was a rather clear language.

And the same process repeated before the second Sadrist uprising in August 2004, BTW.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}