Iraqis Allow Themselves More Time

The Iraqi leaders charged with drafting a new constitution for their country have decided to take one more week before they submit a document to the national assembly, as several major issues - "including the role of Islam, the rights of women, the sharing of the country's vast oil wealth and whether to grant the majority Shiites their own semi-independent region in the south," according to the New York Times - remained unresolved.

As I said yesterday, I think the submission of an uncompleted or unsatisfactory draft constitution would have been far worse than extending discussions for a little while longer. I hope, obviously, that negotiations continue and that next week (or before) will bring about ultimate agreement on a governing structure for Iraq.