Is it possible that Imams, like children, are a barometer/metric for the "radicialism" or level of violence in Iraq? Usually, clergy or children are seen as "off-limits" targets by most insurgents, due to the potential negative backlash as seen in El Salvador, Guatemala, and North Ireland.

Is it also possible that by killing off an entire generation of "old-men" who currently serve as Imams, and who have shown a propensity to survive during brutal times, such as during the Ba'ath Regime, that a new generation of "younger men" such as Moqtada al-Sadr will takeover control of the Sunni and Shia religious establishments?

What would happen if someone assasinated Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani? What if a terrorist targeted the Shrine of Ali (Najaf) or Shrine of Hussein (Karbala), and successfully carried out an Askariya Mosques type attack? Would the "old men" loose control?