GETTING THINGS IN ORDER
The administration in Iraq has appointed a council of Iraqis from all over the country, representing everyone from the funamentalist Shi'as to the secular Sunnis and northern Kurds. Good move. It was an even better move to make it a Governing Council and not just an advisory one. The next step is a constitution, which must be written to ensure that the election of any single national leader requires support from the whole of Iraq and that no single ethnic or religious group can control the vote. Thus, some sort of electoral system that requires a Sunni candidate to gain support in the Kurdish north and Shiite south, or requires a Shiite candidate to gain Sunni and Kurdish support will go a long way to ensuring stability in Iraq and serving as the model of democracy for the middle east that it needs to be. Similar considerations must govern the election of the national legislature to ensure that coalition building be central to governance and that no single ethnic group or geographic region can dominate parliament.

And beyond giving the Iraqis the self-governance they desire, require and deserve, the other priority is the economy, stupid. No government can survive if the people have no confidence in it, and confidence comes from positive economic activity.