NPR: al-Maliki rebounds... Sunni group will re-join the Maliki government

Now NPR is talking about the gains al-Maliki made after defeating al-Sadr in Basra:

Iraq's prime minister, long criticized as weak, overly sectarian and indecisive, has used the crackdown on Muqtada al-Sadr's militia to strengthen and improve his political position. A key Sunni bloc has declared it will soon re-join Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led government, and Sadr, the anti-American cleric, appears more politically isolated than ever.

Previous related:
McClatchy's Leila Fadel announces al-Maliki lost Basra