Always jam tomorrow; never jam today. Fearing outbreak of democracy, US administrators postpone indefinitely a mayoral election in Najaf on grounds the projected winner would be insufficiently abject.

What works infinitely better than one-man, one-vote, you see, is despotism with a mild-sounding bureaucratic name.

Iraqi political parties want a broadly representative coalition to elect a transitional government, yet the head of the Coalition Protection Agency (CPA), Paul Bremer, will only consider an advisory council chosen by him. He even went so far as to proclaim illegal any 'gatherings, pronouncements or publications' which call for the return of the Ba'ath party or for opposition to the US occupation. This is surely a sign of control and sends the conflicting message that it is OK to demonstrate in Tehran but not in Baghdad. Bremer has also insisted the Iraqi people will be free to choose their future 'even if it is socialism'.