Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Has Bush lost his mind? We go into Iraq only to allow Islamic law to be a basis of the new "democratic" Iraq. News flash: Islamic law and democracy do not mix. The theocrats would effectively rule like they do in Iran. The Shia dominated Iraq would likely become a close ally of Iran. 2000-some service members die in the cause of "freedom" for Iraqis, so we can turn around and put them in different chains? Is Bush so tired of getting criticized that now he kowtows to the clerics and throws money at Africa?

The framers of Iraq''s constitution appear likely to enshrine Islam as the main basis of law in the country — a stronger role than the United States had hoped for and one some Iraqis fear will mean a more fundamentalist regime. Arab constitutions vary widely over the role of Islamic law, ranging from Lebanon, where the word "Islam" never appears, to Saudi Arabia, which says the Quran itself is its constitution....some fear the Shiite Muslim leaders who want similar wording in Iraq's constitution hope to lay the groundwork for a more fundamentalist rule, at least in Shiite-dominated areas.
Already, Shiite leaders in some southern cities have tried imposing Islamic-based rules, pressuring women to wear headscarves and forcing liquor stores and music shops to close.
A draft of the constitution published last week in the government Al-Sabah newspaper put Islam as "the main basis" of law. But the constitutional committee — made up of Shiites, Kurds and some Sunnis — is still haggling over the language."