On the Tigris, America's Monument to Humility

Washington's not the only place hosting red-carpet affairs this month. There was one just yesterday in Baghdad, complete with blast walls and charming invitations that politely asked guests to come unarmed.

Everyone who was anyone was there, including Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte (who called the dedication a "cause for both pride and humility"), outgoing Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Well, maybe not everyone. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, just back yesterday from schmoozing with the Iranians, skipped the event. He was also a no-show for the ceremony last week turning over the Green Zone to Iraqi control.

The hour-long event went smoothly, though at one point public affairs counselor Adam J. Ereli had to step up to the stage to prop up the Iraqi flag, which slid off the pole, our colleague Ernesto Londoño reported from Baghdad.

Diplomats and military folks have been moving in recent months into the mammoth $700 million, 26-building compound, a move repeatedly delayed by construction problems and cost overruns. The complex sits along the Tigris River and includes bunkerlike homes for the ambassador and deputy chief of mission. Tower guards and gates that have armored double doors give it a cozy, prisonlike atmosphere.

So we get the equivalent of Lorton, and Maliki now gets Saddam's Republican Palace, the ornate, chandelier-studded palace, with high ceilings, an outdoor pool, murals and gaudy furniture.

"I'm going to miss the touch of Saddam," Sgt. 1st Class Patrick McDonald, who works at the embassy, told Londoño.