Fool me once: shame on you. Fool me twice: shame on me. Fool me forty-seven times: business as usual at the State Department.

What numbnut bureaucrat thought holding peace negotiations with Moqtada al Sadr was a good idea? Reuteres:

Talks to end the conflict in Najaf between U.S. and Iraqi forces and radical Shi'ite militiamen have collapsed, Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said Saturday.
"The talks have failed. All efforts to end this have not succeeded," he told reporters.

Militants loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have been battling U.S. and Iraqi forces in the sacred city of Najaf for 10 days in fighting that has killed hundreds and sent thousands of protesters to the streets.

A truce has held since Friday but tensions remain high.

Thousands of Sadr supporters flock to Najaf....

Talks to end nearly two weeks of violence between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and Shi'ite rebels in the holy city of Najaf have broken down.

Iraq's national security advisor said the government's effort to negotiate a political solution has ended in failure.

Eight days of fighting eased Friday, as the negotiations opened in Najaf. Saturday, thousands of Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters converged on the Shi'ite holy city to show their support for the renegade cleric.

Meanwhile, north of Baghdad, there was heavy fighting in the mainly Sunni city of Samarra. The U.S. military says it killed about 50 insurgents in bombing raids on their positions.

And in the southern city of Hilla, supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr clashed with Iraqi police backed by multinational forces. Iraq's interior ministry says 40 fighters and three police officers were killed.

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