"May God Get Rid of America in Iraq."

Growing up American during this past decade, I have come to think of Iraq and Afghanistan as colonies of the US, as extensions of the soil that is my homeland; I don't think I'm alone. I don't agree with this notion, and on further analysis it breaks down, but the sentiment is so strong I cannot ignore it. Perhaps I have some idea of how many average Brits felt about India, Ireland, and a large swath of Africa back when the sun never set on their empire.
And so, though I've never been to Iraq and it is thousands of miles outside my country's borders, I feel strangely protective and violated when I read about Iran making machinations in Iraqi politics and government-making. The Guardian has the scoop:

Iran has brokered a critical deal with its regional neighbours that could see a pro-Tehran government installed in Iraq, a move that would shift the fragile country sharply away from a sphere of western influence.

This should come as no great surprise; Iran was only waiting for us to pull most of our forces out of Iraq and focus our media and military on Afghanistan. Now they are swooping in to secure Iraq as an ally. And why shouldn't they? The two countries share a large border, and Iraq is 60% Shiite, the dominant sect of Islam in Iran. If anything, the Islamic Republic has more right to help decide Iraq's political fate than the US, if anyone other than the Iraqi people has that right at all.