A Confused American policy.

Just recently I asked Iraq Expert Juan Cole about the rift in the US government over what course it should take in Iraq. He confirmed that there is a Neo-Con/Pentagon Pro-Shia faction and a State Department Pro-Secularist/Allawi faction. This rift is worrying for the simple fact that if the American oligarchs can't come up with a solution, then what hope is there for the Iraqi politicians who are trying to figure a way out of this mess? I simply do not understand what the Americans want to happen in Iraq. Let's look at the State Department faction first. Some people would have you believe that this is the 'reality based' community within the US administration. What is reality based about trying to force Iyad Allawi on the Iraqi people when nobody wants him as their leader? As Mr.Cole says on todays Informed comment, one of the myths circulating within the US is that Iraqis are a secular bunch. Once upon a time maybe, but not any longer. I think the last two election results have proven this, so shouldn't the State Dept get in touch with reality and drop Allawi like a hot potato? And as for the Neo-cons/Pentagon? On the one hand, Cheney flies in to give Ibrahim Jafari his support to continue as PM for four more years and to call for a 'Unity Government', whilst on the other hand, new figures released show that the US army has stepped up its number of air strikes, mainly in Sunni areas. Apparently, over two times more civilians are being killed than insurgents, and this is fuelling more hatred against the US and the Shia govt. How do they expect the Shia to form a 'Unity' govt with the Sunni's, when they are pushing the Sunni's more and more into the arms of the terrorists?

And why the sudden pressure on the Shias to give up their political rights anyway? After all, the Sunni's are the ones who have vowed to keep killing US troops, whilst also pursuing a political path, yet in November the US army 'accidently' discovered alleged Shia torture prisons. They attempted to stain the reputation of Jafari's government and I believe this about-turn against the Shias was an attempt to push Allawi into power on December 15th. Now that Allawi's gone will this deadly American game against the Shia stop, or will they continue to sabotage the rightful rule of the majority in Iraq?

I guess the white folk over in Washington only support democracy when the results suits them. But democracy, means the rule of the majority, and if the Shias are the majority then the US is morally obliged to accept this rule. If they don't, I predict that the Shias will finally kill off the long suffering US project in Iraq.