Skipper

That splendid blogger Paul Linford recently declared he was not going to comment on the US Mid-term elections, the reason being, as far as I could make out, that they offered little traction on what happened this side of the Atlantic. In my comment on his post I begged to differ in that I think there is a strong connection. The Guardian today supports this view by suggesting Bush's drubbing offers Blair the chance advance his view that talks should be opened up with those two demonised states, Syria and Iran. Our prime minister is due to give video linked evidence to the James Baker's bipartisan Iraq Study Group(ISG). He will, it is suggested, argue for accelerated 'Iraqi-isation' of the security forces, greater internal political cooperation within Iraq itself; and in addition a renewed push for progress in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict plus multilateral regional talks.

It is clear that the Democratic victory and the removal of Rumsfeld has produced a more fluid situation in which Bush is open to new policy directions (indeed he seemed to be inviting us, in one TV clip, to send him suggestions on a postcard). Martin Kettle suggests foreign policy has been virtually subcontracted to the ISG which is striving to find a way of withdrawing from Iraq with, failing honour, at least some dignity. On Global Warming too we are likely to see the Democrats forcing debates in Congress and some unfreezing of the White House suggestion that this is a smoke and mirrors argument created by Europeans keen to hobble the US economy. In other words there is a substantial dividend payable to us from these results. But, as someone wholly fascinated by US politics, I am just as interested in those probing powerful enquiries a Democratic Congress will now set in train.

I would suggest Nancy Pelosi looks no further for her starting point than the Guardianfilms award winning Iraq's Missing Billions made by Ali Fadhil. This film explores why nearly $20bn, earmarked for reconstruction in Iraq, just disappeared, almost certainly the result of corruption either in Iraq or at the US end. The film maker risked life and limb in making his film and this truly shocking misappropriation of money, allocated to improve the daily lives of Iraqis, deserves to be subjected to the light of an inquiry.