Iran shifts focus fully on Iraq

By showing up in Baghdad, Ahmadinejad ended all speculation on who rules contemporary Iraq, along with the Americans. It certainly is not Saudi Arabia.

Ahmadinejad came in broad daylight, with an official agenda agreed to well in advance, and spent the night in Baghdad. Bush comes with no prior appointment; Ahmadinejad comes at the official request of the Iraqi government. Symbolically for the Americans, the American leader refused to stay in the Green Zone, which is under US control, but rather, stayed at the home of his Iraqi counterpart, Jalal Talabani. He seemed to be saying: "Regardless of reality, I still refuse to accept American control of my own backyard."

The only similarity is that both are greeted by Sunni demonstrators who feel neglected and persecuted by post-Saddam Iraq.