ON A STEP FORWARD IN IRAQ

INCHING FORWARD

Looks like something really important happened in Iraq for the better, but it got never got the media airplay it deserved in the U.S. due to the Clemens "testimony" circus at a Washington hearing. 

The New York Times though covered it in a timely article titled "Ending Impasse, Iraq Parliament Backs Measures".  Here's what you may have missed yesterday:

"Iraq’s parliamentary leaders on Wednesday pushed through three far-reaching measures that had been delayed for weeks by bitter political maneuvering that became so acrimonious that some lawmakers threatened to try to dissolve the legislative body.

More than any previous legislation, the new initiatives have the potential to spur reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites and set the country on the road to a more representative government, starting with new provincial elections.

The voting itself was a significant step forward for the Parliament, where even basic quorums have been rare. In a classic legislative compromise, the three measures, each of which was a burning issue for at least one faction, were packaged together for a single vote to encourage agreement across sectarian lines."

What did the three measures encompass? 

"The three measures are the 2008 budget; a law outlining the scope of provincial powers, a crucial aspect of Iraq’s self-definition as a federal state; and an amnesty that would apply to thousands of the detainees held in Iraqi jails."

The piece goes on to explain how these measures were very important for each of the constituencies, and how critical an agreement over them was for long-term political stability in Iraq.

The whole piece is worth reading, and something that the media should have covered in the U.S., especially on TV.  Not as glamorous as the Clemens steroid scandal, but far more relevant to the safety of our soldiers and interests in Iraq.