Iraq looks for new prime minister

Iraqi Shi'ites Friday scrambled to find a new prime minister candidate after Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced he was stepping down.

So far no clear successor stands out in the ruling Shi'ite Alliance although efforts were underway to find one capable of appealing to both Sunni and Kurdish factions.

Without an acceptable leader, Iraq is very much in danger of boiling over into fullscale civil war. Many believe it is already at that state with the situation artifically controlled by foreign forces led by the U.S.

Even with the foreign military presence, violence goes on unabated on a daily basis in some regions. The bombing of a Shi'ite mosque in February set off a continuing chain of reprisal attacks. Also on Friday hundreds of dead bodies showing signs of torture were found in Baghdad.

One can only imagine what the situation would be like if left in the hands of the Iraqi security forces alone.