On the Road to Theocracy
According to the Bush administration, Iraq presented a clear and present danger due to its cache hold of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The fuse to light those firecrackers fizzled. The rhetoric changed to the requirement for spreading democracy and freedom; Iraq would greet democracy with open arms, and be a catalyst for quickly instituting democracy throughout the Middle East. On Wednesday the Iraqi government announced support for “ethnic and sectarian militia”.
Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman now indicates that American officials are out of the picture; we (the US) are not involved in determining Iraqi policy. “I have to emphasize this is an Iraqi issue that they will decide and that they will deal with,” he told reporters. “But we will continue to work closely with them in the training of Iraqi forces”
The Iraqi government announcement clearly indicates the establishment of a theocracy and not democracy. It seems as if the administrations vision is just a bit off course. According to Andy Long at NKU, it has been 813 days, and counting, since the Bush administration set out to make Iraq a model for democracy. On Tuesday and Wednesday the Sunni-led insurgents continued their progression; four American soldiers were killed in various attacks and allegedly kidnapped twenty-two Shiite soldiers.
The International Crisis Group stated in a report released Wednesday that the Iraqi National Assembly should invoke a six-month delay on drafting the Iraqi constitution. The report’s author, Joost Hiltermann, said, the conflict “could go on for a while.”
Eliminate WMD’s, establish a showpiece democracy, and a quick exit from Iraq - “Mission Accomplished”; the administration continues to receive an F on its report card.
