Here’s an administration official on the deal in Iraq: “The media is never going to get this, but this is just the way the Iraqis operate. They take it up to the brink, then they strike a deal. They are used to making bargains. They push, push, push, then they compromise. It was the pattern with the governing council, with the transitional administrative law (TAL), with the interim government, with the transitional government after the election. Now that they have the committee settled, they can get to writing the constitution, and if they base their work on the TAL, they should be in good shape.”