Iraq, Federalism, and Hugh Hewitt

It seems like every time I watch CNN or tune into NPR, someone is talking about how Iraq will never survive as a united, sovereign nation. "The British arbitrarily drew it up," some guest speaker will say. "There's no way the Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites will want to work together in the long run." Many cite religious differences among Iraq's ethnic groups as their main concern for the fledgling democracy. Yet here we are, with a working constitution in hand, one that will, in the words of this Wall Street Journal editorial, "empower legislators, not clerics." When it comes to peace, stability, and cooperation, my money is on the legislators. Also, even if some clerics became more involved with Iraqi politics, it's important to note their track record so far, as this article points out:

...[A]larums about Iranian-style Shiite theocracy in Iraq have been raised repeatedly over the past few years, often by American or Arab proponents of the Sunni dictatorships that are the Mideast status quo. But one of the most underappreciated stories in post-Saddam Iraq has been the extent to which the Shiite community has remained committed to a constitutional, democratic process--despite the best attempts of the terrorist Zarqawi or cleric Moqtada Sadr to provoke them to violence. Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who adheres to a "quietist" school of Islam that shuns excessive mixing of religion and politics, has continued to play a particularly constructive role.

Very good.


Oh, and how could I forget, in light of these positive developments, Hugh's ode to Sheehan?

The document is a huge achievement, as is the entire Iraq intervention, though the cost has been high in both life and money. Only the Bush-haters can argue that the Iraqis and the world would have been better off with Saddam --and then his sons--in power, and with the corruption of oil-for-food-for-tyrants-for-terrorists pumping tens of millions of corrupting dollars into secret pockets and numbered accounts.

Only those blinded by partisan hate or ambition denigrate the effort underway in Baghdad.

Indeed.