Iraq - Lots on the Karbala violence

(AFP) "Sadr warns of retaliation if Karbala probe delayed" (So much for the six month stand down.)

(AP) "Iraqi gov't orders Karbala investigation" (Reading this carefully, it is remarkably vague which, in Maliki's world, means it's not going to happen.)

(AP) "Iraq's Shiite prime minister said Friday hardline Sunni clerics outside Iraq share the blame for this week's bloodshed at a Shiite religious festival in Karbala because they issued religious decrees terming Shiites heretics." (It's the Saudi's fault.)

The LATimes reports that the pecipitant event for the Karbala violence was the entry of future SIIC leader Amar Hakim into the Imam Hussein shrine. (Interesting. Also, a nice starting look at the future leader of SIIC.)

(Reuters) Maliki claims that he stopped the civil war.

(UPI) "A leaked U.S. State Department report concludes the Iraqi government is unable to fight corruption, National Public Radio reported Saturday.

The report found that corrupt officials apparently have no reason to fear for their jobs, while employees of the Commission on Public Integrity have been killed."

And, (NYTimes) "Just how much President Bush’s goals abroad are now at the mercy of some of the world’s weakest leaders was clear last week in how the White House reacted to events in Pakistan..... Musharraf.... Maliki..... Abbas..... Karzai....." (But Sanger left out Lebanon.)