The GOP and Maliki alike have been taking great pains over the last week or so to portray Iraq as a sovereign nation, with its own independent government.  Were it not for the blatantly partisan agenda this rhetorical push is promoting, I would tend to agree with the policy.  Giving the Iraqi government some modicum of legitimacy is a crucial step towards domestic stability as well as in the direction of allowing us to get the hell out of there. 

But if you want to erect a façade, at least be consistent.  When the Iraqi government delays the Saddam verdict to coincide two days before the U.S. midterm elections, your head must be filled with nickels and wishes if you think this is just a coincidence.  Though now it looks like somebody may have realized that such a blatantly orchestrated “surprise” might backfire and the Iraqis seem to be backing off. 

Not that I think this is strictly a push from the White House –Maliki has his own interest in keeping the Bushies in office.  After all, blindly staying the course favors the status quo whereas the restoration of Democratic control would mean Maliki would have to actually get it together, or move on and let somebody else do it. 

But let’s be honest about this – is anyone really biting their nails at the outcome of this verdict?  Does anyone really believe that after a lifetime of oppression and vicious dictatorship an Iraqi court is actually going to return a not-guilty verdict?  How in the hell does anyone believe this will reflect positively (or negatively) on Bush?