Memo To The Goat Rapists*:

There is another of those pesky free and democratic election thingees on Saturday. And another in December. What's with this voting fetish?

There was wild celebration on the floor of the Iraqi National Assembly last night as political leaders celebrated the adoption of compromises aimed at winning Sunni Arab support for a new constitution.

With Iraqis due to vote Saturday on whether to adopt the proposed constitution, Shiite Muslim and Kurdish leaders said they had yielded to all the changes demanded by Sunni Arabs opposed to the draft. The Shiites and Kurds depicted the compromises as a victory for the forces of national reconciliation after months of sectarian bloodshed.

The Sunnis' leading political organization, the Iraqi Islamic Party, endorsed the compromises, which conceded some sticking points and put off others until a new legislature is elected in December. Other major Sunni parties withheld support, however, splitting what had been solid Sunni opposition to the proposed charter.

The chief compromise in the deal creates a new committee that would look at amending disputed provisions of the constitution after a new legislature is elected Dec. 15. Amending the constitution then would take a two-thirds vote of parliament and another national referendum.

Sunni leaders, whose constituency largely boycotted the January elections, say they expect a heavy Sunni turnout in December and a resulting increase in representation in the next assembly.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, identified by many as the single greatest influence for Sunni inclusion in the constitution-making process, encouraged Iraqis to disregard misleading accounts of the draft charter.
The new draft is an eclectic mix of Islamic Sharia law, Iraqi nationalism, socialism and western environmental chic.

"In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate," begins the preamble. "We have honored the sons of Adam. We are the people of the land between two rivers, the homeland of the apostles and prophets, abode of the virtuous imams, pioneers of civilization, crafters of writing and cradle of numeration. Upon our land the first law made by man was passed, the most ancient just pact for homelands policy was inscribed, and upon our soil, companions of the Prophet and saints prayed, philosophers and scientists theorized and writers and poets excelled."

Section 1, Article 2 states: "Islam is the official religion of the State and it is a fundamental source of legislation."

Seeing no contradiction between the principles of democracy and the principles of Islam, that statement is followed up by the following two provisions:

"No law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established."

"No law that contradicts the principles of democracy may be established."

Even we have trouble with that.

The constitution also "Guarantees the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people and guarantees the full religious rights of the all individuals to freedom of religious belief and practice such as Christians, Yazedis, and Mandi Sabeans." There is no mention of Jews.

There's a surprize.

The Baath Party of Saddam Hussein is permanently banned – even under another name.

The constitution also mandates universal government health care and protection of "biodiversity."

* For legal disclaimer concerning the phrase "goat rapist" go here.