A new way that Iraq's a mess

From Talking Points Memo: Iraq doesn't control or fund its intelligence service - the CIA does, through a crony of Ayad Allawi, who's been proposed to replace Iraq's current Prime Minister through a legal or "extra-legal" process. Iraq has had to create a second intelligence service so it actually has some control of that one.

I don't blame the US for infiltrating the Iraqi government - it's what I hope we're doing with Pakistan. I just hope we're clear on the true loyalties of the people we're paying, and don't have all our infiltrators located in a single basket. That Iraq is forced to tolerate this level of US control is crazy though - it reminds me of how the Sandinistas have their own private army outside of Nicaraguan governmental control.

I like this comment too, posted at TPM:

So....what are the odds that the big fee Allawi is paying to GOP lobbyists is actually cash that came directly from INIS and indirectly from the CIA?

Your tax dollars at work.

In other Iraq news, the uneven security improvements appear to be a result of Sunni Iraqis anticipating a near-term withdrawal of American troops rather than a result of the surge.