...the Iraqi central government has neither. It's so called constitution was written by Americans not Iraqis. The "constitution" attempts to make Bremer's colonial edicts permanent. Those edicts which favor American corporate exploitation of Iraq, allow for the wholesale export of Iraqi capital and resources to American corporate accounts.

The only motivation an Iraqi would have to defend such a government imposed after an illegitimate foreign invasion and occupation would be desperation, venality and corruption. These are not likely to lead to the cornerstone of sound police and armed forces. Under the circumstances, any political party or faction in Iraq would have to be out of their minds to disarm or accept the American interpretation of what is good government.

This is the elephant in living room that no US leader in their discussion of what is wrong in Iraq bothers to discuss because it impugns the entire war effort as imperial and immoral.

Random acts of kindness by soldiers and contractors, a few schools here and a few hersey bars there, providing acts of life saving surgery and prosthetics to dismembered children isn't going to change this fundamental political truth.