A summary from "Slate" of tomorrows papers, concentrating on the moved up schedule to transfer power in Iraq. The worry is that the Shiites end up running things. My reaction is "hey, screw the Sunnies! They are the ones killing our guys. If it ends up with the Shiites in charge, fine with me. "
today's papers A summary of what's in the major U.S. newspapers.
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By Brian Montopoli
Posted Thursday, Nov. 13, 2003, at 1:38 AM PT
The New York Times leads with the Bush administration's decision to move up its timetable in transferring power in Iraq. The administration now hopes to hold elections in the first half of next year, and administration officials say that the United States is willing to turn civilian authority over to a temporary government before a new Iraqi constitution is written. The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times lead and the Wall Street Journal tops its worldwide newsbox (online) with the suicide bombing in Nasiriyah that killed at least 26 Italian police and Iraqis. (The WP puts the number of dead at 29.) As USA Today and others point out, it was Italy's worst single combat loss since the Second World War.
The Bush administration's decision, which WP and LAT off-lead, comes as escalating violence has forced the White House to try to come up with a clearer exit strategy in Iraq. The new timetable may help placate some of the insurgents currently targeting coalition forces, and it could allow Bush to significantly reduce the number of troops stationed in Iraq or effectively end the U.S.-led occupation before the 2004 election. But many observers are wary of an accelerated transfer of power. One worry is that a constitution crafted by an elected body, which would likely be comprised largely of Shiites, would enshrine Islam as the Iraqi state religion, infuriating the Sunni minority and further destabilizing the region.
slate.msn.com |
