Mmmm, looks a new interesting model of democracy : a non-elected government protected by 150.000 of OUR troops!!
Not yet, my dear Johnny, not yet. Not all what Bush says should be heard. Let´s wait and see when will the Iraqi people be able to practice REALLY the democracy that we claim to bring.

When were the elections?

This is really nothing more than an outsourcing contract for the Iraq's to run the country at our bequest.

It is better than Paul Bremmer running it, but it is more of a political sound bite than anything else. We will have to wait and see if anything really changes.

This "full sovereignty" moniker is little more then show-boating. The new "interim" govt has almost no authority whatsoever, and can be vetoed by the US....

So I'm not sure how "free" or "Democratic" the situation is...

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The last time this country mixed politics with religion, people got burned at the stake.

Not really. Even if what you say is true (which it almost never is), I would be on the lookut for cribdeath.

Nope, it's not a democracy yet. It's a small, tentative, symbolic step. Time will tell if it's meaningful.

It's also a move that has bipartisan support. Who doesn't want the Iraqis to eventually take over their own country again?

My question is: Isn't it a bit odd to do a handover by surprise? What's up with that?

I believe I covered thatup above Raytri.

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"The only thing we have to fear is four more years of George W. Bush." -Teddy Kennedy

What's the pro-Bush explanation for the surprise?

That way, they sucker punch the Iraqi people into not being able to protest.

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"The only thing we have to fear is four more years of George W. Bush." -Teddy Kennedy

You, my friend, are a troublemaker.

Is that the reason the Bush administration gave? That's what I'm looking for. Is there a way that the early, surprise handover looks good?

Seems obvious to me, an official handover ceremony on the 30th would have been a magnet for the terrorists.