Maliki regains lead in tight national elections race

With 89 percent of ballots now counted, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is leading his primary challenger, former PM Ayad Allawi, by almost 40,000 votes, according to an Associated Press release published today at the Washington Post online.

"The vote counting has been protracted, with results released piecemeal and marred by fraud accusations," says the AP report.

Could the final outcome of the vote, or the machinations of the political negotiations towards forming a majority parlimentary coalition, be the cause of the conflagration of the cities, as prophesied by Jeremiah the ancient Hebrew prophet?

Will the cities burn on March 23rd, 1,179 days from Saddam's execution? We wait and watch.