SCIRI George

Lo, how the mighty have fallen! Was it so long ago that Little George squinted and barked at the whole world that every government in the world would henceforth be required, at the point of U.S. arms, to toe the line of enlightenment? Liberal democracy, free elections, and a tender solicitude for the Rights of Wimmin: not optional, nosiree! But now, what the snuffing-out of 2900 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of turban-wearers could not do, the election of a few dozen Democrats has done: the Decider will apparently talk to just anyone:

US President George W Bush has told one of Iraq's most powerful Shia leaders, Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, that he is "not satisfied" with conditions in Iraq.

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Mr Hakim heads the largest Shia party in Iraq's parliament, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri).

Sciri has ties to Iran, and its former military wing has been accused of fuelling sectarian violence.

Mr Hakim, a cleric, enjoys wide influence in Iraq because of his party's popularity among the country's majority Shia population.

He lived in exile in Iran in the years before the fall of Saddam Hussein, and retains strong links with Tehran.

His Sciri party joined forces with a host of other Shia groups to win a majority of seats in Iraq's parliament in elections last December.

The former armed wing of Sciri, the Badr Brigade, has merged with the army and police force, but it has been accused of taking part in the torture and killing of Sunnis.

Surely not even George W. Slow-Puppy imagines that the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq is within shouting distance of an endorsement from Gloria Allred, or Kate Michelman, or even Laura Bush. So why does Dubya hate Amur'ka? He'll be a-cuttin' an' a-runnin', next thing you know.