Not with a bang, not with a whimper

But with a thud, the "turnover of sovereignty" takes place in a hasty, secret meeting, with Bremer on a plane home to the US two hours later.

What a public relations coup for Bush!

And of course the arabs aren't fooled, not for a minute. They've been down this road before. There are still foreign tanks in the streets of Baghdad, and that's what counts.