Kerkuk is as Kurdish as Najaf is Shi'a

"I am all but fond of Ja'afari's government, I have made that very clear. I believe that the strong presence of the Kurds in the government balances those who, if they had their way would turn Iraq into a country not unlike Iran. While the Kurds will push for less Islamism and more secularism, they also have a set of their own, very legitimate demands that the Iraqis who want to see a secular, democratic Iraq must accept."
Dear Baghdad