Lawrence Auster adds an interesting point to recent surge writings:

One of West's arguments for the failure of the surge is that Iraq has become, not a pro-Western ally of the U.S., but an adversary, exactly as we would expect of a tribal Muslim Shi'ite majority country. And here, in today's news, is further evidence of Iraq's non-Western-friendly status: it is planning to sue Israel for Israel's destruction of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor in 1981.

Think of it: if Hussein had initiated such a suit over the loss of his reactor, which he had been building for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons to use against Israel, it would have been laughed at, even by the anti-Israel UN. But now that Iraq has been rebuilt by the U.S. as a "democratic," "self-governing" country (though in fact Freedom House still lists Iraq as Not Free), it has acquired the patina of moral legitimacy to make such a suit, which it would not have had under Hussein. America's supposed democratization of Iraq has thus empowered Iraq to be more troublesome to the West in some ways than it otherwise could have been.

Make that a blinding patina of moral legitimacy. Iraq can do nothing to dim what John McCain, for one, is still calling its "beacon." Not even the release of Qais al-Khazali this week causes a US senator even to clear his throat. Khazali is the protege of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Shiite militia leader and former spokesman for Moqtada al Sadr behind the killings of five US troops in 2007, among other things. He is now expected to have a "big political future" in post-surge Iraq.

From the New York Times:

News of the release emerged as an American congressional delegation visited Iraq on Tuesday. The delegation, including Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders and were briefed by Gen. Ray Odierno, the American commander in Iraq.

McCain took the opportunity to criticize the recent ruling in the United States that dismissed charges against five former Blackwater security guards who opened fire on unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007 in a fusillade that left 17 dead. Iraqis were outraged by the ruling.

"We regret the decision," McCain said. "However, we do respect the rule of law. We hope and believe that the ruling will be appealed."

How dare John McCain apologize for our justice system ever, but certainly on the very day Iraq's "justice" system released this killer and kidnapper with American blood on his hands?

Oh, I forgot -- having American blood on your hands isn't a crime in US-liberated Iraq, as an Iraqi government official reminds us: "Qais al-Khazali has committed no crime under Iraqi law and is welcome to play a role in public life as we welcome all groups to be part of the political process."

Back to McCain's Obama-like apology: The judgment in the Blackwater case -- based on extreme prosecutorial breaches of legal procedure -- is nothing to "regret," and particularly not when there is reason to suspect the case was a political railroad rife with irregulariities designed to persuade Iraq to sign that godawful SOFA agreement. (Wouldn't be the first time the US offered sacrifical lambs to Iraq.) 

McCain went on:

He and Mr. Lieberman said that despite its troubles, Iraq could become a democratic example for other countries in the Middle East. Iraq, Mr. McCain said, is “emerging as a country with a messy but effective democracy” that “over time will be a beacon, a model to other nations.”

 Or maybe a model beacon.