Iraq is back in the natural resource export saddle:

Iraq began pumping oil at around 4:30 p.m., said the oil official, speaking on condition of anonymity, at Turkey's Ceyhan terminal.

"They started pumping and everything looks normal," the official said. "We don't know for how long they will keep pumping, it is up to Iraqis."

The oil flow to Turkey was expected to be between 300,000 and 400,000 barrels a day, about half of pre-war volumes, Dow Jones reported on Monday. The pipeline has a maximum capacity of over 1 million barrels per day.

Hopefully Iraq's oil infrastructure, aging and in disrepair, can benefit from investments of Western technology to increase efficiency and capacity - not to mention find itself placed under proper ownership. 5-10% of the world's supply is nothing to sneeze at; nor is a potential democratic, oil-rich ally for America to help hasten our permanent separation from the authoritarian House of Saud.