From the Pages of "Inside Iraq"

The following is a small sample of the on-the-spot blogging from Iraqi journalists working for McClatchy Newspapers. This latest posting wonders if Paul the Octopus could help Iraq, because, you see, things are not really going well there at all. But you won't hear about that from the vast majority of U.S. news outlets, even supposed progressive blogs, like Daily Kos, where admiration for Barack Obama blinds many to the fact that President Obama continues the American occupation, and the support of a corrupt regime in Iraq.

Since the last parliamentary election in last March, all Iraqi people are waiting for forming the governments. We have real big hopes that our politicians learnt some good lessons from the previous seven years. One of the most important lessons was sectarianism is not the right way to build a new Iraq.

After more than four months since the election, our politicians are still fight over power. All they seek is their interests and nothing more. They all use very sweet phrases when they talk to media like The National Unity Government, Building a new Democratic Iraq and Providing the best services to the Iraqi people who were deprived from their rights during Saddam's reign. Yet, nothing really happened. there is no real democracy. The constitution had been violated for many times and the last violation took place just yesterday, July the 13 when the new parliament did not hold the session they agreed about weeks ago. The political parties did not make any progress in their negotiations to form the government although they have been discussing the issue for months. People are not really free because thousands of them have been in jail for years just because they are suspects, we still have the worst public services. Almost, all Baghdad neighborhoods have no electricity for about two full days....

I suggest that we send a delegation to Germany as soon as possible to bring Paul the Octopus to Iraq before the German turn him into delicious meals and before the Dutch marines assassinate him because he predicted their loss....

Paul the Octopus is not Shiite, Sunni or Kurdish. He does not represent any majority or minority. He is not a member of Islamic party or secular party and the most important issue, he is not going to ask for any position in the coming government. He is just a creature who wants to live in peace

Thanks, McClatchy, for bringing us the vital voices at Inside Iraq. (And while I'm in the mood to hand out praise, thanks for Carol Rosenberg, as well.)