A Constitution

IRAQ

Twice this year the Bush administration has forged ahead with the Iraqi political process over the worries of critics. The first time was the January 30 election, when liberals said a vote could only be a prelude to a civil war. Now the administration has gone ahead with the constitution-writing and -ratification process, even though liberals and even some conservatives warned that it could only be a prelude to a civil war. But in an ethnically divided country, suffering a nasty spate of violence partly motivated by sectarianism, almost anything could be the prelude to a civil war. The administration has been correct to keep the process moving forward, hoping that it creates a momentum that draws in disaffected Sunnis and isolates the insurgency.

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IRAQ

Twice this year the Bush administration has forged ahead with the Iraqi political process over the worries of critics. The first time was the January 30 election, when liberals said a vote could only be a prelude to a civil war. Now the administration has gone ahead with the constitution-writing and -ratification process, even though liberals and even some conservatives warned that it could only be a prelude to a civil war. But in an ethnically divided country, suffering a nasty spate of violence partly motivated by sectarianism, almost anything could be the prelude to a civil war. The administration has been correct to keep the process moving forward, hoping that it creates a momentum that draws in disaffected Sunnis and isolates the insurgency.