What the US can do

With the drive to get the US military out of Iraq as fast as possible, what the US military really should do to allay the violence may be the most unpopular option. US commanders on the ground have been the roadblock to handing over more of the trained Iraqi security forces to the Iraqi central government, and it is for good reason. Those few units turned over so far have had Sadr lackies assigned as the leading generals who then used the units to, at least, round up Sunnis, especially those known to be friendly which not only fuels the violence but also causes desertion of good men from those units. The tougher US action that is most likely needed is to hold onto the command and training of the Iraqi security forces until an Iraqi central government is formed which won't use the security forces as an enforcement arm of just one side.