The interim Iraqi government (which I fully expect to survive the transition to a permanent government) is reminding me a lot of the Bush administration's first few months. They obviously had a developed idea of the offices and such they wanted to put in place, just a Bush and Co did. And they're executing their plans with little to no regard for its secondary and tertiary effects.

By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's interim prime minister announced the formation of a domestic spy agency Thursday in a bid to uncover insurgents carrying out daily attacks on U.S.-led troops and Iraqi forces.

Speaking at a news conference, amid a surge in violence in Iraq, Iyad Allawi said he was forming the General Security Directorate, a domestic intelligence network, which would attempt to infiltrate and expose those behind the insurgency.

"We are determined to bring down all the hurdles that stand in the way of our democracy ... terrorism will be terminated, God willing," Allawi said.

For many Iraqis a new spy agency may have overtones of the Mukhabarat, Saddam Hussein's feared and powerful domestic intelligence agency which for decades kept tight tabs on the nation, but Allawi said it was for the good of the country.