TWO SEEMS AMPLE (via Kevin Whited):

Iraqis dismiss split, approve of al-Maliki (David R. Sands, July 19, 2006, THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

Iraqis overwhelmingly reject a breakup of their country along religious or ethnic lines and see some hope for progress with the formation of the new unity government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, according to a nationwide poll being released today.

The mid-June survey of nearly 3,000 Iraqis, conducted for the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI), found that 78 percent of Iraqis either disagree or "strongly disagree" with the idea of segregating the country by religious or ethnic sect.

Large majorities in both Sunni and Shi'ite Arab regions of the country rejected the idea, while reaction was more mixed in the Kurdish-dominated north.

About 55 percent of Iraqis approved of the job Mr. al-Maliki had done in his first month, compared with 20 percent who disapproved and an additional 25 percent who had no opinion or declined to answer.

The real question is why the Shi'a should give the Sunni a region of their own.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 21, 2006 12:06 AM