re: Najaf
The Iraqis who died in Najaf were largely the Sadr thugs. They made the error of selecting an uninhabited cemetery for their major battlefield, which made it very difficult to pull off the standard bullshit that somehow only Iraqi civilians are being harmed in these battles. Even news stories had to grudgingly label the Iraqi casualties as "fighters."
For every Marine that fell in that battle, a hundred enemies fell.
Did you see the large anti-Sadr demonstrations in Najaf after the battles?
What Novak said was true. I have it from a lot more sources than just him.