I’m still waiting for the final text. We historians are a patient lot. But on American policy, we need not wait, and while I quite agree that there are–and should be–limits to what we can–and should–ask for (we did pass sovereignty to the Iraqis, right?), I also think it is right for us to fight fiercely for women’s rights and for limits to religious authority over civil society. We won’t get it all, but this is about us, and our role in the world, not just about Iraq. It’s a message to the world at large, especially to the Iranians, the Syrians, and the Saudis. It is a mistake for us to fold; it’s better to lose this round, and keep fighting. Wrong to compromise on such important principles. Wrong to be excessively multicultural. The separation of church and state, as defined in the Constitution, is one of the great achievements of mankind. If we do not fight for it, those others who recognize our genius will be discouraged, but we want them to keep fighting.
Alongside us.