August 15, 2005, A thousand sheets last longer...
This just in: the Iraqi parliament has failed to meet the August 15th deadline to adopt a proposed constitution, voting instead to give itself another week to reach a draft accord. Dog Run Member and regional expert Professor Juan Cole asserts, based on, you know, the interim Iraqi law we stage-managed, that the failure to adopt the constitution on time should result in the dissolution of parliament. Americans, not living in a parliamentary system, might not be sure what that means. But everyone else does: new elections. Which, in the case of Iraq, mean another national lockdown, and, if we want to avoid a day of national carnage, probably tens of thousands of additional American troops which we don't have.
This is not good news for the President. Obviously, his approval ratings have taken their version of an August swoon, as the country is... not happy... with the high casualties and no end in sight, and no particularly good result. The mightiest man in the universe (just ask him) is being dogged by a not particularly scary looking 48-year old woman... not even her husband's filing for divorce will likely alter her course...
And good old Dick Cheney is apparently plotting a nuclear strike against Iran in the event of another 9-11 type attack, whether or not any involvement on Iran's part can be shown.
This was all predictable. The new Iraqi constitution (assuming they ever agree on one) can best be termed "a new product". And anyone in the White House press office will tell you: you don't introduce new products in August.
Jeez, people. Can't the President fall off his mountainbike in peace? For God's sake... let him get on with his life!