Another view of Iraqi prospects

This is from an English-language newspaper out of Pakistan. I don't know how reliable it is, but it provides interesting insights the American media doesn't include. It's an editorial from the Frontier Post.

By failing to meet the August 15 deadline for producing a draft constitution, Iraqi lawmakers have demonstrated their unwillingness to find mutual accommodation and compromise. With this attitude they have driven the Americans into a tight corner, who are now desperately clutching at straws to save the Iraqi enterprise and their irreparably damaged image.

[...]But will Iraq’s lawmakers produce the requisite document within the now extended period of seven days? Given the critical constitutional issues about which none of the partisans seem willing to relent, that is a big question. And even if some of them do relent, will this fit into the scheme now envisaged by the Americans and provide an outlet for Washington to crawl out of Iraq?

Only time will tell, but the prospects look dim.

That's the present. Look at how America got into this mess.

As they [The Bush administration] were flexing their muscles to take over Iraq, Saddam’s intelligence people contacted their American counterparts, offering on his behalf not only intrusive inspections by U.S. weapons experts but also democratization and elections in which Saddam would not participate, even offering to go into exile.

But the Bush White House derisively spurned his offer, which could have spared the Iraqi people their travails and the Americans the severe buffeting of their image and credibility.

So the Bush people rejected Saddam's offer to go into exile and establish democracy and elections in Iraq - which they would today accept happily and use to declare victory in the preemptive Bush War in Iraq.

Before anyone says "We can't trust the opinion of a foreign source like this one." tell me. Can we trust the Bush administration to any greater extent? This has total 'face validity', and the Bush administration has a history of lying whenever they open their mouths.

Face validity over total lack of credibility. Which to choose. Which to choose.