Inevitably the Kurds and Sunnis walked out and with them went the quorum needed to vote on anything.
Suddenly this pivotal meeting of Iraq's finest political talent, ended in chaos and disarray.
If it is any consolation I understand behind the scenes all party grandees worked day and night to come up with a list of nominees, but even as the MPs were taking their oaths of alliegance there was no consensus.
In effect the parliamentary gathering was cursed before it even started.
To emphasise the positive at least 255 out of 328 MPs turned up, which by Iraqi National Assembly standards that was good.
All the Shia blocs attended, the Sunni Nujafi and Diyala blocs were there, and all the Kurds.
The new MPs also lined up afterwards to collect their allowances and other perks like bodyguard protection.
As we wait for the whole process to begin again, the jihadists are consolidating their position and calling on muslims around the world to join them in the new "caliphate."
Parliament will meet again Tuesday - for the sake of Iraq that date cannot come soon enough.
John Cookson has been reporting from Iraq for 25 years for international news channels including Al Jazeera English and Sky News. Twitter: @Newsman1000
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