How are things in Iraq....Don't Ask

Bill in DC sends us a couple of links that would have to lead us to believe that things are not going well in Iraq.

One Hundred Thousand Shi'ites Protest Iraq Charter

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A hundred thousand Iraqis across the country marched on Friday in support of a maverick Shi'ite cleric opposed to a draft constitution that U.S.-backed government leaders say will deliver a brighter future.

The protest could reinforce the opposition of Sunni Arabs who dominate the insurgency and are bitterly against the draft.

Iraq's Marginalised Sunnis Rally for Saddam

BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Thousands marched in adoring praise of Iraq's deposed leader Saddam Hussein on Friday, offering a stark display of the loss of power and leadership felt by some of Iraq's Sunni Arabs.

Drawing inspiration from the Baath party strongman, who now languishes in jail awaiting trial, marchers in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, danced and chanted his name and condemned plans by the Shi'ite and Kurdish-led government to push through draft constitution to create a federal Iraq.

They accused the Shi'ite Islamists in government of kowtowing to Iran, Iraq's non-Arab neighbor where many Shi'ites sought refuge during Saddam's rule, and the United States, which backs the government with some 140,000 troops.

``Bush, Bush, listen well; We all love Saddam Hussein!'' crowds chanted. ``We reject the American and Iranian constitution'' and ``No to a constitution that breaks up Iraq,'' their placards read.

Meanwhile.....
Bush urges Iraqi Shi'ites not to alienate Sunnis

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -President Bush stepped in to resolve a row over Iraq's constitution, calling a key Shi'ite leader to warn him not to alienate Sunni Arabs whose resistance to the draft showed no sign of weakening on Friday.

Bush's call to cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a driving force in the Islamist-led coalition, betrayed concern in Washington that a referendum in mid-October could turn into a divisive sectarian showdown rather than the unifying celebration it had hoped would bury the authoritarian past of Saddam Hussein.

Thousands of Saddam supporters and followers of maverick Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr took to the streets on Friday in separate demonstrations to protest against provisions in the draft constitution aimed at creating a federal Iraq -- a step many fear could lead to the country being divided.

And America's finest are in the middle of what looks to be a long civil war. Bring them home now!