And A Sunni Pony Too

By Cernig

There are new reports that the Sunni bloc is about to rejoin the Iraqi government. But then again, there have been reports of their imminent rejoining on an almost weekly basis ever since they left last August and it hasn't happened yet. The last two cabinet minister lists the Sunnis put forward were rejected by Maliki for no other reason than that they weren't Shiite enough and there are signs that this list won't be any better.

(And doesn't it speak volumes that the accompanying WaPo photo of Sunni and Shiite lawmakers "at a reconciliation meeting outside Baghdad in June" shows said lawmakers only in silhouette, presumably to prevent them being identified as talking to their opposite numbers?)

Ed Morrissey is hoisting the mission accomplished banner over at Hot Air, touting this as a sign of the arrival of the reconcilliation pony, along with an AP report (I won't link to because we don't do AP here) saying that the White House has judged that the titles of laws passed can substitute for actually carrying out those laws, and so the Iraqi government has passed "15 out of 18" benchmarks. One of those benchmark ponys is agreeing to hold provincial elections on October 1st - yet anyone listening to Maliki's government already knows it has said that won't happen. According to the Iraqi government's own announcements, the elections might happen in November, might happen after status of forces agreements with the US are concluded, might happen piecemeal over the course of months...but definitely won't happen on October 1st.

As is usual with talk of reconcilliation, I'll believe it when it actually happens - not when laws are passed saying it should happen or politicians say it is going to happen. "Fool me twice...won't get fooled again."