Demagogue

In today's Washington Post, Phil Kennicott gives us a little more insight on the ayatollah behind the winning Iraqi coalition:

For example, (Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani's) fatwa 2648 reads: "It is unworthy to drink too much water; to drink water after eating fatty food; and to drink water while standing during the night. It is also unworthy to drink water with one's left hand; to drink from the side of a container which is cracked or chipped off, or from the side of its handle."

... Throughout [Sistani's] writings, there are basic principles: He expects scrupulous honesty and integrity from the faithful; there is to be no gaming the system and no use of the letter of the law to avoid the spirit of it ...

In other words, he's no fan of Bush-style capitalism. But I digress.

Fatwa 2638, for example, reassures the reader that "there is no objection in swallowing the food which comes out from between the teeth at the time of tooth picking."

Now that's a relief. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since that July cookout for fear that my toothpick use might have defiled my soul.