News: Something Else: let's talk about Iraq

What's happening in Iraq?
This article gives a pretty good summation of who is winning and who is losing in Iraq.
Iraq's legislators met for the first time. Amid the insurgents' chaos, they pledged to uphold democracy and all, but no agreement on the government. Shi'ite and Kurdish officials are happy that some land and cabinet post issues got resolved, but they are otherwise deadlocked.

(Check out the first article again. What a..complicated government. Under Iraq's interim constitution, parliament must agree on a president and two vice presidents by a two-thirds majority. Those three will then appoint a prime minister. I don't have anything to say about it, i just think it's kind of strange. Why do they have two VPs? I can be an ass and say it's because Iraq's more dangerous than America, but I won't. There's probably a perfectly good reason for it.)

Bush is pretty optimistic about the whole thing. Meanwhile, did I mention that the meeting was under mortar fire? Everybody has heard that Italy's pulling out, but the Netherlands and the Ukraine are also withdrawing troops. And Poland. Can't forget about Poland. I would say that the coalition is crumbling, but Bush disagrees.
I don't blame the coalition though--even we might be cutting back troop numbers. The problem is that our country has ADD. We are totally getting sidetracked by Iran and Syria. Besides, rebuilding Iraq is going to be a nightmare, with all the corruption and everything. It's been taking longer and costing more money than previously throught...by Bush's people, at least. Wars cost money, you know. And lives. Military deaths, yes, but also suspicious prisoner deaths. At least we've finally arrested somebody for it.

more later..