Iraq as a Country is no Longer Viable

Iraq's Pinocio regime, you remember Pinocio who wanted his strings removed, anyway it is still publicly committed to Bushco's force–fed constitution. But that is only publicly. One top government official told Reuters things are quite different behind the scenes and Iraq may become essentially, if not in fact, 3 separate countries.

What a spectacular failure for the neocons this would be. That it would come to this isn't surprising at all. It's essentially what the Kurds have wanted for years. It may also be the only way the warring factions have to peacefully coexist.

On the eve of a high-profile meeting intended to demonstrate reconciliation among sectarian and ethnic factions ahead of a White House visit by the prime minister, senior leaders admitted to despair about the chances of averting all-out civil war.

"Iraq as a political project is finished," a top government official told Reuters -- anonymously because the coalition of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki remains committed in public to a U.S.-sponsored constitution preserving Iraq's unity.

"The parties have moved to Plan B," the official said, saying Sunni, ethnic Kurdish and majority Shi'ite blocs were looking at ways to divide power and resources and to solve the conundrum of Baghdad's mixed population of seven million.

"There is serious talk of Baghdad being divided into east and west," said the official, who has long been a proponent of the present government's objectives. "We are extremely worried."

I would hate to see Baghdad divided. That hardly worked out for Berlin, but its their country and their city and their call.

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