Surprise, surprise. There is no set date for the vote to happen. In my own way, I am shocked and awed. (Not really.)
Ironically, the Washington Post said last night that: "[t]he Bush administration endorsed Iraq's proposed new constitution yesterday, but analysts warned that some provisions can be interpreted to undermine everything from the distribution of political power to a secular judiciary, from women's rights to fair distribution of oil revenue.
Even before a vote on the draft in Baghdad, due today, a divisive debate has emerged about the document's viability -- and whether it will provide a new model for Middle East democracy or whether it will make Iraq vulnerable to either civil war or Islamic rule."
The article above is located here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9071136/
While the Bush administration lauded the efforts, others were skeptical.
From the Washington Post again: "But experts on Iraq and constitutional law warned that the current draft does not do enough to heal divisions or ensure rights for Iraq's disparate ethnic and religious groups or minorities.
"It may well be more of a prelude to civil war than a step forward," Anthony H. Cordesman said in an analysis for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The draft heavily favors southern Shiites and northern Kurds -- in both political power and oil revenue -- while offering inadequate incentives to Sunnis, he said. "Rather than an inclusive document, it is more a recipe for separation based on Shiite and Kurdish privilege.""