Informed Comment

More from my fave. Go read today's log.

*Intra-Shia politics

[...]Although the August president of the IGC, Ibrahim Jaafari, is a leader of the London branch of al-Da`wa, al-`Anzi seems to deny that Jaafari is in any way representing the party.[...]

*Ahmad Chalabi & Richard Perle

[...]All Perle is doing is criticizing the State Department and the CIA for refusing to work with the corrupt expatriate financier Ahmad Chalabi. [...] Actually, refusing to preside over the coronation of Chalabi, who has no support whatsoever inside Iraq, was among the few things the US got right. The CIA and State called this one.[...]

*Great stats index

-Number of 27 major Iraqi cities where water is dirtier and less often available now than under Saddam: 12 (includes Baghdad, Najaf & Tikrit)
-Cost of providing clean, reliable water to Iraqis: $16 billion.
-Percent by which Saddam's regime outproduced the current American administration in electricity: 28
-Cost of modernizing the electricity grid: $2 billion
-Amount of money Bremer administration in Iraq has left: $10 million

*more

As a matter of fact I suggest you read his log once per day. Bookmark it or just hop over to the 'blogs of note' after visiting apostropher.

You will have a broader and deeper understanding of what's going on in Iraq and the rest of the Mideast than if you don't. Period.