Part righteous frustration, part old-fashioned morale-building drill sergeantry: Awesomely awesome indeed, as Ace puts it, and predictably profane, so please observe your official strong content warning.

Is this guy sure he’s got Sadrists in his ranks? Muqtada’s influence is at ebb tide, especially now that Maliki’s party has swept the provincial elections, including among Shiites in the south. On a nationalist platform, no less:

Maliki’s alliance won the most council seats in Baghdad and in the crucial Shiite southern province of Basra, an oil hub that had been dominated by the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. Though Maliki’s Dawa Party and SIIC both have strong Islamic leanings, Maliki had pushed an anti-sectarian message during the campaign that won over many Iraqis. The Dawa Party’s slate was named Enforcing the Law for the purpose of the election, reinforcing Maliki’s image as a strongman who could bring security to the country.

In Baghdad, Enforcing the Law candidates won 38% of the vote compared to just 5.4% for SIIC. In Basra, Maliki’s slate took 37% of the vote, and SIIC won 11.6%.

Enforcing the Law also came in first in seven other provinces.

SIIC isn’t Sadr’s party; they’re the group formerly known as SCIRI, his chief rival for dominance among the Shiites. Or rather, his ex-chief rival. Maliki reigns supreme now. Exit quotation: “The big loser in this election was Iran… The big winner in this election was the concept of a unitary Iraq.”