Benchmarks

Looks like we passed one:

Radical Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered six cabinet members affiliated with his movement to quit the government, the head of the Sadrists’ parliamentary bloc said on Monday.

In some ways, the move may be a blessing for Nouri al-Maliki, prime minister, who had hoped to oust Sadrist ministers believed to have connections with militias.

However, the en masse withdrawal may also be an ominous indication that the movement, which staged a large-scale insurrection in 2004, may be losing its appetite for participation in peaceful politics.

By any measure of benchmarking, we can now all agree that the Iraqi government has no actual power and Iraq is FUBAR.

Can we go home now?