In what the Washington Post is reporting as a setback for US policy, several leading Iraqi politicians have given voice to the opinion that reconciliation between the factions should not be a goal of the government but rather happen naturally as a result of government policies:Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government. Instead of reconciliation, they now stress alternative and perhaps more attainable goals: streamlining the government bureaucracy, placing experienced technocrats in positions of authority and improving the dismal record of providing basic services. "I don't think there is something called reconciliation, and there will be no reconciliation as such," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, a Kurd. "To me, it is a very inaccurate term. This is a struggle about power." Humam Hamoudi, a prominent Shiite cleric and parliament member, said any future reconciliation would emerge naturally from an...(Read Full Post)