I protest.

Albatross!

America puts Iraq up for sale.

n an unexpected move unveiled at the meeting in Dubai of the Group of Seven rich nations, the Iraqi Governing Council announced sweeping reforms to allow total foreign ownership without the need for prior approval.

The initiative bore all the hallmarks of Washington's ascendant neoconservative lobby, complete with tax cuts and trade tariff rollbacks. It will apply to everything from industry to health and water, although not oil.

Emphasis mine. Gee, I wonder why they're not putting the oil business up for sale?

This is pretty transparently a bid for investment funds, since Iraq itself, far from being a goldmine, is instead a black hole for dollars. But who will be stupid enough to invest in a place where violence is spiralling out of control, where the occupying power is obviously out of its depth and where the so-called Iraqi "Governing Council" is at best an American puppet consisting largely of corrupt politicians there only to steal what they can before the bottom falls out of the situation?

Salesman: (shouting) Albatross!
Man: Two good humors please.
S: I haven't got any good humors, I've just got this bloody albatross....(shouts) Albatross!
M: What flavor is it?
S: It's a bird mate, it's a bloody bird, it's not any bloody flavor....(shouts) Albatross!
M: It's got to be some flavor, I mean everything's got a flavor.
S: All right, it's bloody albatross flavor, it's bloody sea bloody bird bloody flavor....(shouts) Albatross!
M: Do you get wafers with it?
S: Course you don't get bloody wafers with it, it's a bloody albatross isn't it...(shouts) Albatross!
M: I'll have two please.
S: I've only got one you cocksucker....(shouts) Albatross! Albatross!

UPDATE: For the record, by the way, I think that this is a vile decision. They're selling off Iraq to the highest bidder. Who will profit? Well, certainly not the Iraqis.