Walking through the Iraqi political scene, looking for shade in the heat, Criminals in suits meeting clandestinely behind mosques and talking to confused beggars decorating the death that has consumed the poetry of Baghdad. Looking across the moldy river, people cross back and forth, held back by heavy storms of fate. The bridges stand atop the tide, the tired waves, the manic washing. Nothing is left here in Baghdad. Walkie-talkies hold the perfect beat for children dancing, diving through the rotten holes of hopelessness.

Americans, clearly unable to control the mayhem that has consumed the daily lives of Iraqis, have chosen tactics that have been in play in this region for decades. Collective punishment has reigned supreme in a country that has experienced it for an eternity. Politicians, more careful about what they say than what they do, have held their ceremonial positions well. Strong words, confused priorities, and contradictory allegiances have left the Iraqi people exactly where they have been forever, alone.

More and more, it seems that the language of violence and oppression is still widely spoken and understood in the hallways of the same palaces of destruction that dot the hazy and lifeless horizon.

In a state of opposite identity, glossy clouds hide the darkest of flies, no matter how sticky the heat gets. Over ambitious road ways pave the way to the comforts of complacency. It is the furthest possible place from the misery of Baghdad.

That is the quandary of the people of the Tigris. Pawns, they are regularly traded for the finest of luxuries in the furthest of places. At home, they are left to fight over crumbs falling out of dark stealthy objects in the sky.

It is time to stop wallowing in the victory of others, and look to complete the victory for Iraq. The people of the Euphrates need to be empowered to choose their own destiny in a peaceful and fruitful manner. It is a process that needs to begin from the dirtiest of streets and the poorest of neighborhoods. Elitism has only one face, whether it be the thugs of days gone by or the thieves of days to come.

There is an urgent need for Iraqis to clearly delineate between who and what is working against them. No one holding a gun, wielding hate, or throwing around their moral weight is standing on the side of Iraqis. It is a long process, which needs support and patience. But patience should not turn to submission and assimilation. And patience seems to be a word entrenched into the tombstones of generations gone by.

Iraq is at an impasse. But so are Iraqis. Potential and destruction seem to be at odds as to who will gain the upper hand.