From Al-Jazeera.net:
Tens of thousands of demonstrators in Baghdad protested against the United States' presence in Iraq on Friday, following Friday prayers. Waving banners in English and Arabic reading, "Leave our country, we want peace," protestors outside of the Abu Hanifa Al-Numan Mosque chanted, "No to America, no to Saddam" and "This homeland is for the Shia and Sunni," in a sign of unity among the two groups.
From Naharnet.com:
"We are facing a dangerous transformation and the occupation of an Arab country, Iraq," Sharaa said. "We have said that occupation is rejected by the majority, if not all, of the Iraqi people and the days ahead will prove this. The appropriate method to achieve stability ... is the withdrawal of the invading forces and allowing Iraqis to have their own government," Sharaa added.
From Arab News.com:
But Capt. Joe Plenzler, a spokesman for the U.S. Marines here, shot down the claim. "Anyone declaring themselves as mayor or anything else is just not true. The U.S. government has not appointed anyone. Anyone can call themselves anything they want to," Plenzler told AFP. "But future appointments like this will be handled through USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development)."
But wait, weren't we supposed to be giving them democracy? I think I find it most interesting that CNN posted this at all; are they having second thoughts? Oh wait, perhaps they just felt compelled to say something, since everyone else is.
But don't worry! They might not like it, but we're still paying our own companies Big Bucks to rebuild it all for them! It's like Trading Spaces, the globally incorrect edition!