"THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN BACK NOW"

Surprise! Oh my goodness...we all fell for it. All of us!!

We've been hearing "June 30th" for so long as the handover date...we all bought it.

And then, this morning, we got suckered. Two days early, Iraq is a sovereign nation.

Iraq is being goverened completely by Iraqis.

Iraq became a sovereign country on Monday, 15 months after the U.S.-led invasion of the country and two days before the June 30 deadline for its return to sovereignty, FOX News has confirmed.

"This is a historical day," Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said. "We feel we are capable of controlling the security situation."

Coalition officials told FOX News President Bush had already sent an official letter to Allawi formally requesting diplomatic relations with the government of Iraq — signalling that the United States recognizes Iraq as sovereign. The new Iraqi ministers were to be sworn in later in the day.

The surprise transfer of power occurred in a small ceremony in Baghdad's Green Zone.

Mr. Bremer has no more authority in Iraq. Only Iraqis have governing authority.

And with that action ours went from an "occupying force" (if it ever was one...) to a foreign Army in Iraq at the invitationa and consent of the Iraqi government.

It was an affair of understated pomp but incredible importance.

The transfer took place in a formal room in an office in the building formerly used by the Iraqi Governing Council. Officials were seated in gilded chairs around a table.

Just before the handover occurred, everyone stood up, and documents were passed to the Chief Justice Midhat al-Mahmoudi at 10:26 a.m. local time, at that point, legal sovereignty was passed.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the coalition deputy operations chief, was the only U.S. military official present.

Bremer sat with Allawi and President Ghazi al-Yawer.

"We'd like to express our thanks to the coalition," al-Yawer said. "There is no way to turn back now."

But what tickles me to pieces is that I am certain this just RUINS the fireworks that the terrorists had planned for Wednesday. Whoo Hoo!!! Take that, stupid terrorists...the chance for that very symbolic mayhem you had planned...that chance is gone!

Oh..you can still blow up a bunch of stuff today...or Tuesday or Wednesday...but your carefully coordinated, multi-pronged chain of car bombs and such that you had scheduled to make a statement on the occasion of Iraqi sovereignty...well, a tiny bit of sleight of date happened, and your opportunity is gone!