HUMOR ALERT ***CODE YELLOW*** TODAY (moderate danger of a laugh):

Enter the Washington Post's Pick the Potentate contest today! You can win a coffee mug.

Yes, this calls for the In the Loop Pick the Potentate Contest. Loop Fans can help find the perfect regent to preside over the planned "consultative council," to restore democracy for the first time ever in beleaguered Iraq. A former governor? A former ambassador? Maybe a business leader or someone who excels in law, science, education, the arts or even sports?

My proposal: Joe Torre. Someone who can mediate between an imperial leader in the owner's box, a cast of superstars in the clubhouse, and a hard-to-please home crowd should find governing post-war Iraq to be a piece of cake. Torre's famously calm and respectful demeanor would also put a human, non-offensive face on the administration's foreign policy. Plus, Torre's exit will level the playing field for the Red Sox for the next few years, thus furthering my domestic agenda.

UPDATE: This story has got legs. See here. Translation note: "tell" is a little strange in this context, but I think you can figure out the kind of thing they're trying to do.