BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In a month, Iraq should have a constitution, meeting a deadline set as part of a U.S.-backed timetable for its transition from occupation to independence.
Whether that can defuse bloody conflict to give Iraqis a stable and sovereign state remains an open question.
Three months ago, after it had taken 12 weeks just to form a government, many doubted the Aug. 15 target for the draft constitution could be met; long, bitter wrangling had dented hopes raised by an election held, on schedule, on Jan. 30.
Now, few doubt that some form of draft constitution will appear more or less on time -- even though the parliamentary committee working on it has not, as it once suggested, unveiled a preliminary text by July 15.
Once a draft text emerges, it will be approved in an October referendum and form the basis of a new election around the end of the year.
And it appears everyone will be urged to participate in the next round of elections...
Sunni leaders, distancing themselves from the insurgents and their foreign Islamist allies in groups like al Qaeda, have called on their people to vote next time to show their numbers.
I was just commenting in a previous thread about how we achieve Victory in Iraq. All I'll add now is that this is definitely a huge step in that direction. Soon, we can begin talking about bringing our brave boys home! What a happy day for America that will be!