One of the happy points about the aftermath of our invasion of Iraq that W is fond of making is that the children of that country are now getting an education. He and his minions endlessly repeat the talking point of how the US has rebuilt hundreds of schools that are no longer under the control of WMD-master Saddam Hussein.

No, now many are under the control of Islamic fundamentalists.

Under Saddam, Beytool’s school was only allowed to teach the strict, state-approved curriculum. But now, it’s a private school and they are free to teach whatever they like. And in a sign of the changing times here, the focus is now overwhelmingly on Islamic education. Instead of teaching the alphabet, the goal in Beytool’s class is to memorize 28 basic verses from the Koran, and learn how to wash before prayers.

And the fun’s not restricted to K12 schools.

At universities too, religious hard-liners are taking hold — at Baghdad’s Mustansiriya, self-appointed morality police now guard the campus gate. They recently sent a grad student away because she was wearing pants.

Thus we have a look at Iraq’s bright future.

"What we risk having 10 or 15 years down the line is an absence of lawyers, an absence of technicians, doctors, engineers who are able to push the country forward," says Middle East analyst Turi Munthe.

It just gets better and better.