Caterpillar

On my kitchen windowsill I have a chamomile plant. A caterpillar arrived a few weeks ago, it's eating the chamomile. I wish the damned thing would hurry up, turn into a butterfly and leave the plant alone. *sigh* if only politics were so easy.

I think it is one of those analogous off topic weeks.

Oh, by the way, did you know Muqtada Al-Sadr has started a political party?

This is a fairly recent development, online references suggest the party planning and formation took place somewhere between now and the time of an article posted on June 13. (Note to self; June 13, day Election Iraq 2004! blog results released. Once again the blogosphere anticipates events. Yes we talk an awful lot of trash, but my! how prophetic!)

Muqtada is astutely assuming the new trend in political electioneering set by style moguls Sonia Gandhi and Pachachi, only Muqtada is up chic-ing even their performances. While Sonia and Pachachi actually waited till they were elected before turning down their respective posts, Muqtada is turning down the post before even running for election. Nicholas Blanford, The Daily Star;

Last Sunday, a Sadr aide revealed that plans were under way to establish a political party which would participate in elections in January. Sadr has signaled that he will not seek political office, but will be represented by candidates he nominates.

Well ok, it's a good link, but if you're too busy to click and read i've posted another Nicholas Blanford extract for your convenience;

Earlier in the week, Ghazi al-Yawar, Iraq's interim president, offered Sadr an olive branch, which, if accepted, could turn the 30-year-old junior cleric into a powerful political presence in post-occupation Iraq.

Welcoming Sadr's decision to start a political party, Yawar said "I think this is a very smart move of him."

"I kept saying consistently that if I were in his shoes I would try to go to the political arena instead of raising arms. He has supporters, he has constituents, he should go through the political process and I commend this smart move on his side," Yawar said.

Last Sunday, a Sadr aide revealed that plans were under way to establish a political party which would participate in elections in January. Sadr has signaled that he will not seek political office, but will be represented by candidates he nominates.

"Those surrounding him are pushing him to become a member of a future government. But Sadr thinks he's bigger than a government post," Qubaisi said.

A recent poll conducted by the Iraqi Center for Research and Strategic Studies gave Sadr an average 33.6 approval rating, placing him second only to Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the pre-eminent Shiite cleric in Iraq. The poll found that Sadr was "strongly supported" by 31.8 percent of those asked and "somewhat supported" by 35.4 percent.

By comparison, Ghazi Yawar, the new president, was ranked 10th out of 17 with an average approval rating of 16.5. Ayad Allawi, the new prime minister, was 15th with an approval rating of 11.5 percent.

The announcement came two days after Sadr reversed his initial rejection of the interim government, saying he would recognize it as long as it gave a clear timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq.