When losing is winning - Redefining foreign policy

The US is losing it's grip on the political process in Iraq. Bush may be casting Iraq as America's "golden moment" but the policy wonks seem to have a firmer grip on reality. They no longer expect to have the Iraqis docilely form a secular government led by our obedient puppets and friendly to US corporate interests.

The new stated criteria for success is to accept the Iraq government using the Islam holy rules of Sharia as only "one" of the foundations of public law, "protection and inclusion of minority groups and defence of women's rights." Look for that to be revised again when the constitution is finally written, virtually without input from the Sunnis, to make Sharia the primary source of the legal system. That pretty much will eliminate women's rights - which have already suffered badly under the civil war fomented by the US occupation. At that point, no doubt our new criteria for success will be an Iraqi government that won't align with Iran and Syria to declare war on us.

The one constant you can count on is Bush will be taking credit for avoiding some problem, instead of accepting blame for causing it in the first place and he'll still be declaring the insurgency is on its last legs.