World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Naploeon. Or God.

This got a little bit of play, but if you hadn't seen it the administration is now saying with regards to the makeup of the Iraqi government that they are considering alternatives other than democracy.

As the Dean of Farber College I have some connections with a few former students who are now part of the Bush administration. I made a few calls and was able to find one alumni who is deeply involved in the planning of possible alternative governments in Iraq. Here's what they have so far, but my informant asked me to add the caveat that these are just in the planning stages and "nothing's been firmed up by the Big Decider."

Stoogeocracy - Composed of three branches of government like our own (Moe, Larry, Curly) however legal disputes are resolved through tort but rather through the use of pipes, hammers, slaps and pokes to the eye.

Cthuluocracy - Appealing because it wouldn't take much work to institute. Consider this line from Lovecraft regarding the return of Cthulu: "...mankind would have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom."

Doesn't that sound like present day Iraq?

New Federation - Proposed by some of the nerdier members of the White House. It would be a government based on the articles of the Federation. It has the added appeal of being a form of government where the Chief Executive when confronted with a law limiting his power, say the Prime Directive, he can simply ignore it and do what he wants. There are a group of counter-geeks that argue the Iraqi government should just forget all that and adapt the Ferengi "Rules of Aquisition."

Heriditary Oligarchy - Based on the U.S. model.