Believe Bush's Bombs, Not Bush's Words

Iraqis drafting a constitution have failed to reach consensus after the three extra days they agreed to take to try to work out a compromise. So now they have blown three deadlines. Pres. Bush has been frantically trying to broker an agreement between the Shiites and Sunnis, because he's trying to "lure them away from the insurgency." The AP's Robert H. Reid writes, "Failure to win Sunni endorsement of the draft would be a major embarrassment for President Bush. ..."

I'm really getting tired of hearing the bitter fighting between Shiites and Sunnis over issues of fundamental importance to Iraq's future characterized in this way. If Bush invaded Iraq to "liberate" Iraqis and give them the opportunity for self-determination, why is it that Iraq's constitution has to be drafted a certain way in order to make the Bush administration look good? It's not that I don't agree the Sunnis' concerns should be taken seriously; they should be. It just irks me that the outcome of this constitutional struggle is all about not embarrassing George W. Bush. I mean, can you say "self-centered," everyone?

Also, if Bush is so keen to make the Sunnis feel included in the political process so they will move away from the insurgency, then why the hell are we hearing this:

Also Friday, the U.S. military said it launched multiple strikes with F-18 fighter jets against a house in the western town of Husaybah that local informants said was sheltering about 50 suspected insurgents from the group al Qaeda in Iraq. The military said the number of casualties had not been determined.

This level of stupidity should be against the law. On the same day that Pres. Bush is trying to save his own face by convincing Sunnis their self-interest lies in climbing aboard the constitution boat, he allows the U.S. military to bomb a house in a small town on the word of "local informants" that there were "suspected insurgents" in the house? The fact that the military is claiming they have not been able to determine the number of casualties is a strong indication that a lot of people were killed, and that most or all of them were civilians. But either way, whether the people bombed were insurgents or civilians, sending F-18 fighter jets to rain bombs on a small Iraqi town is not likely to persuade Sunnis that they can trust their Uncle Sam.