[Then there are those among the Sunni leadership looking beyond the October 15 referendum at parliamentary elections—scheduled for December 15—as a greater opportunity to improve the political situation for Iraq’s Sunni Arabs.] The emergence of a credible elected Sunni leadership would be a major step forward for Iraqi politics, ... which have so far been hampered by the absence of anyone who can claim to speak for the ordinary Sunni and deliver those insurgent leaders who may be inclined to compromise. |
A constitution that is a deal between the Shiites and Kurds is not a deal. |
I think it's pretty clear our influence is waning as far as agenda setting. |
If they are acknowledging that the delay is costing them - that it is making things worse - that is a step in the right direction. |
If they can't protect the pipelines they can't protect the flow of cash and that's their lifeline, |
If you want to bring people on board you have to give them more than 48 hours. |
There's a bit of a message to the administration: 'Don't rush this. . . . We need to do this right, not fast,' |
To the extent that families are moving out, neighborhood by neighborhood, that itself is a sign of civil war. |
With a few exceptions, these guys were not major, major players. They've tried to use brinkmanship and now their bluff has been called. By enforcing its deadlines, the administration has shown that they were willing to cut the Sunnis off. |