Slouching Towards the Islamic Republic
by Billmon

I predicted a few days ago that the American proconsul in Baghdad would soon find it expedient to throw President Bush's high-flown promises to the women of Iraq off the constitutional train. And, according to Reuters, that moment now seems to have arrived:

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What Does Democracy Really Mean In The Middle East? Whatever The West Decides
Sometimes I Wonder If There Will Be A Moment When Reality And Myth, Truth And Lies, Will Collide
by Robert Fisk

It makes you want to scream. I have been driving the dingy, dangerous, oven-like streets of Baghdad all week, ever more infested with insurgents and their informers, the American troops driving terrified over the traffic islands, turning their guns on all of us if we approach within 50 meters.

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The Iraqi constitution: DOA?
Angry and marginalized, Sunnis are threatening to torpedo Iraq's constitution. Disaster looms, and the Bush administration's blunders are largely to blame.
by Juan Cole

Iraq on Brink of Meltdown

The credibility of Iraq's political process was in danger last night as parliament again failed to vote on a draft constitution which a Sunni politician said was "fit only for the bin".

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Hypocrites and Liars
by Cindy Sheehan

The media are wrong. The people who have come out to Camp Casey to help coordinate the press and events with me are not putting words in my mouth, they are taking words out of my mouth. I have been known for sometime as a person who speaks the truth and speaks it strongly. I have always called a liar a liar and a hypocrite a hypocrite. Now I am urged to use softer language to appeal to a wider audience. Why do my friends at Camp Casey think they are there? Why did such a big movement occur from such a small action on August 6, 2005?

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Casey
by CindySheehan

When I arrived at Camp Casey II this afternoon I was amazed at what has changed since I was gone. Now, we have a huge tent to get out of the sun; caterers; an orientation tent; a medic tent (with medics); a chapel, etc. The most emotional thing for me though was walking through the main tent and seeing the huge painting on canvas of Casey. Many things hit me all at once: That this huge movement began because of Casey's sacrifice; thousands, if not millions of people know about Casey and how he lived his life and the wrongful way in which he was killed; but the thing that hit me the hardest was how much I miss him. I miss him more everyday. It seems the void in my life grows as time goes on and I realize I am never going to see him again or hear his voice. In addition to all this, the portrait is so beautiful and moving and it captures Casey's spirit so well. I sobbed and sobbed. I was surrounded by photographers, I looked around until I finally found a friendly face, then the news people crushed in on me and I couldn't breathe. I didn't mean to have such a dramatic re-entrance to Camp Casey, but the huge portrait of Casey really surprised me.

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Something's Happened
America Has Turned Against the War

Of Kurds and Crips
by Billmon

Tony Shadid and his colleague Steve Fainaru -- last seen at this blog cruising the Sunni Triangle with a bunch of Saddam-loving Iraqi Army recruits -- have a long story in today's Washington Post that reviews the transformation of Iraq into the new, juiced-up Lebanon:

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Under US noses, brutal insurgents rule Sunni citadel
Guardian gains rare access to Iraqi town and finds it fully in control of 'mujahideen'

Iraq: The unseen war
The grim reality of Iraq rarely appears in the American press. This photo gallery reveals the war's horrible human toll.

Settling All Family Business
by Billmon

Sadr tips his hand
Yes, President Bush, I'm playing your balls like a violin
by Steve Gilliard