The United States has announced that it plans to turn over the administration of Iraq to its puppet governing council next summer. Of course, the reason for this accelerated timetable is that they're trying to get the hell out of here before Howard Dean is elected President next November.

The silly Americans remain under the delusion, however, that this country can exist peacefully with a democratically elected government. Now stop laughing; I'm being serious. People in the Bush administration actually believe that!! These are no doubt the same government officials who think Star Trek is a documentary.

There is, of course, no way democracy can take root here. We have too many ethnic groups that are suspicious of one another. The Kurds will always be trying to overthrow the Sunnis who will be trying to overthrow Shiites who will be trying to overthrow the Kurds. Peace? In the middle east? Not in our lifetimes, nor even in this particular 30 billion year cycle between the Big Bangs which create and ultimately destroy our universe.