THE NEW BOSS, cont'd

The Los Angeles Times has an update on the Allawi-as-summary-executioner story.

Such apparent urban myths are particularly potent in a society frayed by violence and divided over whether democracy or dictatorship will best deliver the life people desire. They are also a product of a society stripped of any frame of reference for leadership other than a system that relies on the fear of violence.

"It is totally untrue, but regrettably the political culture in Iraq has come to equate strength with force," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih. "In a developed society, strength would come with the rule of law."

A sampling of Iraqis interviewed in Baghdad tea shops and Internet cafes and on street corners found few who had not heard some variant of the rumor, but their reactions varied widely. The image of the prime minister as judge and executioner is seen alternately as a vicious effort to destroy his reputation, a sign of his strength or simply a rumor that people want to believe.

The third sentiment was by far the most common.

"It is not true, but I wish it were," said Abu Zaid, a partner in a Baghdad teahouse.