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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2005-06-21

Strange Convergence

The Op-ed page of the Washington Post contains two oddly matched columns. The first, by E.J.Dionne, is predictable in its "Iraq bad, Cheney foolish" meme.

The most damaging document supporting this claim is not secret, and remains one of the most important artifacts of the prewar debate. It is the transcript of "Meet the Press" from March 16, 2003, in which Vice President Cheney gave voice to the administration's optimistic assumptions that have now been laid low by reality.

When I have more time, I'll come back and dissect Dionne's rantings. But for now, I will direct your attention to the second op-ed, arguing a different point:

A year ago, in Resolution 1546, the U.N. Security Council set out the timetable that Iraq, with the assistance of the United Nations and the international community, was expected to fulfill. The Brussels conference is a chance to reassure the Iraqi people that the international community stands with them in their brave efforts to rebuild their country, and that we recognize how much progress has been made in the face of daunting challenges.

Elections were held in January, on schedule. Three months later the Transitional National Assembly endorsed the transitional government. The dominant parties have begun inclusive negotiations, in which outreach to Sunni Arabs is a major theme. A large number of Sunni groups and parties are now working to make sure that their voices are fully heard in the process of drafting a new constitution, and that they participate fully in the referendum to approve it and the elections slated for December.

Indeed, just last week an agreement was achieved to expand the committee drafting the constitution to ensure full participation by the Sunni Arab community. This agreement, which the United Nations helped to facilitate, should encourage all Iraqis to press ahead with the drafting of the constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.

And who, you might ask, authored this view of Iraq to contrast E.J.Dionne? Why, none other than Kofi Annan.
Posted by: Michael / 6/21/2005 01:02:00 AM

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