From Reuters.com

U.S. diplomats have conceded ground to Islamists on the role of religion in Iraq, negotiators said on Saturday as they raced to meet a 48-hour deadline to draft a constitution under intense U.S. pressure.

This means there will be some kind of religious-based litmus test for all laws in Iraq. It seems that Bush & Co. are willing to do anything to cut their losses in Iraq. This is the result of setting deadlines more in tune to U.S. domestic politics than reality in Iraq. This is the result of not building a real international coalition. This is the result of not having enough troops on the ground. This is the result of invading a country on a lie. A Kurdish politican said,

"We understand the Americans have sided with the Shi'ites," he said. "It's shocking. It doesn't fit American values. They have spent so much blood and money here, only to back the creation of an Islamist state ... I can't believe that's what the Americans really want or what the American people want."

Of course, you could argue that what the American people want isn't really the question. it's what the Iraqi people want. But try telling the mothers and fathers in Ohio, Georgia, etc. that their sons and daughters died for this.
posted by Idle Crank at 8/20/2005 05:59:00 PM