On April 1, Dilip Hiro was writing in the Guardian about Ayatollah Sistani's opposition to the invasion. The article had a very negative tone. Today the Ayatollah issued a fatwa urging Iraqis not to resist! Now the US will definitely win the war, because Shi'ites make up 60% of the population of Iraq and Sistani is the highest religious authority in Iraq. Perhaps Saddam's "becoming religious" has backfired on him. It remains to be seen how long the war will take, because the supply lines to Baghdad must be stretched very tightly like a rubber band...