U.S. will retain power in Iraq after transfer of sovereignty:

"The fledgling Iraqi government will be capable of tackling little more than drawing up a budget and preparing for elections, top U.S. and Iraqi officials say.

''We're still here. We'll be paying a lot of attention and we'll have a lot of influence,'' a top U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. ''We're going to have the world's largest diplomatic mission with a significant amount of political weight.''

... With Iraqi elections scheduled for December or January, the interim government will last a fleeting seven months at most: a butterfly's life, in legislative terms. "

No wonder Shi'ite cleric Al-Sistani is insisting that the UN does not recognize the legitimacy of this interim government, but awaits proper elections and a genuine handover of power to Iraqis.