When is something broken in Iraq cause for optimism? When it’s that government logjam. Jaafari’s replacement strikes all parties, according to statement, as acceptable. Now a whole new thicket of practical questions: why him — Jawad al-Maliki? Why now? Wasn’t the deadlock about more than one fellow? But you can also ask some bigger questions, in light of our own administration’s personnel issues. Like: what can a people do when held hostage by ossified staffing structures and the personalities they tolerate? A question for the ages; some reflections here.
