"Iraq as a political project is finished."

This is a rather disheartening article from Reuters. It's rather long, so I will basically summarize it by saying this:

We're screwed.

Oh, you want something a bit pithier?

Okay.

As the violence in Iraq increases, an adviser close to PM al-Maliki states that some of the factions within the government (that's his quote above; obviously he won't give his name because it's his neck on the chopping block too) are starting to think of partitions along ethnic and religious lines, as well as apportioning resources.

So the dream is over, my fellow Americans. The Neoconservative Magic Thinking Tinkerbell Dream of a tidal wave of democracy sweeping out from liberated Iraq within weeks of the fall of Baghdad turns out to be exactly what I thought it was in 2002 - Complete and Utter Bullshit.

Of course, the Neoconservative Magic Thinking Tinkerbell Dreamers want us to try the same thing all over again, in Lebanon, Syria and Iran.

Think about that, and try to sleep tonight.