Electile Dysfunction
According to the New York Times (hey - Jayson Blair is long gone, so this is probably true), the US is lobbying Iraq to secure the broad Sunni participation, regardless of the outcome of the January 30 election. The Times said US officials have raised with an aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, (Iraq's top Shiite cleric), the possibility of adding some top Sunnis to the 275-member legislature, even if they lose to non-Sunni candidates.
Other US politicians (like Sen. Richard Lugar) have suggested that some accommodation be made, though most do not want quotas. Essentially, the concern is that the election will create a Shiite theocracy, which is not an unrealistic scenario, in that Shiites make up 60% of the Iraqi population.
CNB just finds it odd that an administration that disfavors affirmative action in its own country would find it appropriate in another, and, more importantly, that this issue has just now become a concern, rather than being predicted by experts prior to the decision to invade.
Other US politicians (like Sen. Richard Lugar) have suggested that some accommodation be made, though most do not want quotas. Essentially, the concern is that the election will create a Shiite theocracy, which is not an unrealistic scenario, in that Shiites make up 60% of the Iraqi population.
CNB just finds it odd that an administration that disfavors affirmative action in its own country would find it appropriate in another, and, more importantly, that this issue has just now become a concern, rather than being predicted by experts prior to the decision to invade.
posted by CNB at 8:16 AM
