AP: Iraqi Politicians Clashing Over Minister's Post

I found this in the print edition of the Providence Journal (I couldn't find it online though...sorry, no link):

Iraq's prime minister [Ibrahim al-Jaafari] and his radical Shiite backers vowed yesterday to fight a bid by Sunni Arabs and Kurds to oust him, threatening to plunge the country into political turmoil, delay the formation of a new government, and undercut U.S. plans to begin withdrawing troops this year. [...]

Many Sunnis blame al-Jaafari for failing to rein in commandos of the Shiite-led Interior Ministry...Kurds accuse al Jaafari of dragging his heels on resolving their claims around the oil rich city of Kirkuk. [...]

Al Jaafari won the nomination by a single vote during an election Feb. 12 among Shiite lawmakers who won seats in the Dec. 15 parliamentary election. He defeated Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi in large part because of the support of radical, anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

This is bad for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the U.S. government's recent rhetoric regarding the importance of a "national unity government." Not surprisingly, this prospect seems more bleak with each passing day.