Reality bites

Patrick Cockburn is my favorite correspondent on Iraq. He knows the country well and he gives a straightforward commentary without pretending to the niceities of "balancing" coverage by giving time to dissemblers. His latest take is rather depressing but sums up the situation brilliantly. Here's the money quote.

The formation of a national unity government in Iraq is now being presented as an antidote to the violence. "Terrorists love a vacuum," said British Defense Secretary John Reid, citing his experience in Northern Ireland. But one Iraqi official remarked that the three main communities -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurds -- do not hate one another because they do not have a government, but rather they do not have a government because they already hate one another.

When I predicted this would happen back in January, I got a lot of flack from my critics in Detroit about being so pessimistic. I wish I had been wrong but unfortunately, when the situation sucks I guess it's just hard for some people to tell the difference between pessimism and realism.