Every time I hear one of the President’s supporters insist that the “coalition of the willing” is a broad international effort, I’m reminded of Paul McCartney’s insistence that Wings was just another rock band. Just like nobody bought a ticket to the Wings Over America tour because they wanted to see Linda and that guy from the Moody Blues, the willingness of Estonia and Latvia to support the war doesn’t change the fact that this is a United States led occupation.

For a good example of the U.S. control over Iraq, check out this anecdote from George Will (via Matt Yglesias):

After “This Week” arranged with Allawi’s office for Sunday’s interview, the State Department called ABC to say that the office of U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte in Baghdad had decided that the interview would not happen until this coming Sunday, after Allawi’s U.S. visit. This attempt by the U.S. Embassy to exercise sovereignty over the prime minister raised interesting questions about just what was actually transferred on June 28 when sovereignty was supposedly given to the Iraqi government. The White House recognized the inconvenience of such questions. The interview occurred.

If you think Iraq is controlled by an international effort, ask yourself if John Howard is allowed to set the schedule for Iraq’s “prime minister”. Or better yet, ask any Iraqis if they even know who the hell John Howard is.