Iraq’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of prosecuting the embattled chairman of Iraq’s Democratic Party, Mithal al-Alusi, for visiting Israel earlier this month. Since the law he violated was established during the Saddam Hussein era, technically speaking, Alusi could be sentenced to death. While that fate may be unlikely, the angry reaction Alusi’s visit to Israel caused in Iraq says a lot—about Iraq and America’s mission in Iraq. The Associated Press writes,

The uproar shows how far Iraq has moved from the early U.S. goal of creating a democracy that would make peace with Israel and remove a critical force from the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Indeed. In recent months, much has been made of the brilliance of Gen. David Petraeus and the success of the surge in bringing down violence against American forces. But has America forgotten why it sent troops to Iraq in the first place?

The AP contacted the U.S. Embassy in Iraq about Alusi’s prosecution, but its spokesman declined comment, saying, “It is an issue for the Iraqi parliament, not the U.S. Mission to Iraq.”

A pro-American Iraqi mp could lose his party’s sole seat in parliament, be banned from leaving Iraq and possibly sentenced to death because he spent three days in Israel.

And the United States has no comment?