Six

The Dance

Somewhere in Germany this past weekend there was a father-daughter dance. My daughter went, with a friend and her dad, and will have something to remember: the Father-Daughter dance when dad was in Iraq. She was disappointed, I'm sure, that her dad wasn't there. But coming so soon after the Christmas with dad in Iraq and the Thanksgiving Dinner at the Club because dad was in Iraq it's just another one of those things. She is, of course, the only one of my kids who hasn't had a Birthday when dad was in Iraq. In the email yesterday I received pictures of the event. It was quite the formal occasion, and my youngest has become the lovely young lady - in my entirely unbiased assessment - in her gown and with her hair just so she is a heartbreaking beauty. With High School still a year away I still see the little girl I've always known. But she is a little lady now, of that I am sure.

Here is what I know she didn't think or say about the dance with all her friends and their dads, regarding her lack of same: "It's not fair!" Such sentiments are banished forever at my house. By age four my kids know it's a pointless statement to make. Welcome to the world. By the way, it isn't fair.

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Representative Martin T. Meehan, (D, Ma) tasked his staff to draft a plan to withdraw the troops from Iraq, and they have delivered.

Such a timetable, if adopted, would make it more urgent for a new Iraqi government to take over most security functions and also send a clear message that the overwhelming US presence -- now seen by many officials and military specialists as counterproductive -- will soon recede, according to the proposal by Meehan, who recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Iraq.

That's wonderful. No longer will young American girls attend dances without their fathers. Regardless of the results of the Iraqi elections this weekend, no matter what form their new government may take, the Congressional Democrats of America will send them a strong message. "Don't count on us!"

Of course, the report is likely not to see the light of day, Americans last November voted and, well, (D Ma) is unlikely to pull much weight.

It does give the Boston Globe the opportunity to run this headline: House Report Proposes Troop Withdrawal Plan. It's a congressional report, you see. It has weight, it has gravitas. Certainly that's very important and very grown up. Let's wear pretty dresses and do our hair just so and sit at the grown up table and talk about exit strategy, shall we? Just like the grown-ups do. After all, the Mean Man in the White House got to dance with his daughters at the Coronation Ball, didn't he? It's not fair!

This story also gives my lovely wife an opportunity to teach my children what pandering is.

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The London Sunday Times declares Shi’ite Muslim cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the winner of the elections.

THE Shi’ite Muslim cleric tipped to become prime minister after next Sunday’s election in Iraq has said it will be the duty of the new government to demand the withdrawal of American forces “as soon as possible”.

I think, in spite of the rhetoric of both the cleric and the Times, that "as soon as possible" is a timetable we can all agree to. After that,

In comments certain to raise eyebrows in the United States, al-Hakim spoke of a role for Iran and Syria — both regarded in Washington as enemies in the war on terror — along with Iraq’s other neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait, in the security of the country.

“These countries have past experiences and good security forces and with good relations we can solve this problem together,” he said.

That's quite a full dance card. I hope he's ready for a long night.

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And what of the people of Iraq? Where do they stand in all this? Apparently they have not yet voted, and The New York Times provides a shocker: Iraq Remains Sharply Split Over Election!!!!!! (Exclamation points added for effect!!!!!!)

Hejaz Hazim, a computer engineer who could not find a job in computers and now cleans clothes, slammed his iron into a dress shirt the other day and let off a burst of steam about the coming election.

"This election is bogus," Mr. Hazim said. "There is no drinking water in this city. There is no security. Why should I vote?"

Across town in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, a grocer called Abu Allah stood behind his pyramids of fruit and said that no matter what, he was going to the polls.

"Even if there's a bomb in my polling place," he said, "I will go in it."

If Iraq was ever a divided country, it is especially divided now.

Unlike their last election, which was unanimous, as the Times notes in it's final paragraph,

There was one thing, though, that many Iraqis interviewed for this article, from all groups, agreed on: the novelty of free elections. Abdul Khadim Ali, a portrait painter, remembers the days of Mr. Hussein's elections and how there were not 111 spots on the ballot but 2: yes or no.

"Some Baathist guy once came to our house and told my family we didn't have to go to the trouble of filling out our ballots - he'd do it for us," he said, referring to Mr. Hussein's party.

"This time," Mr. Ali said, "I'm marking my own box."

The gist of the story is that Shiite Muslims, the victims of sanctioned violence for years under Saddam and "insurgent" attacks in the months since his fall, are going to the polls. Many Sunnis, on the other hand, (some of whom have been killing Shiites like it's going out of style for years now) will not. Because it's not safe. Because some Sunnis are killing Shiites.

Are you still with me? Recall Ohio 2004, where Democrats were disenfranchised in Democratic precincts because, well, lines were long and the weather was just awful. And Florida 2000, where Democrats were disenfranchised in Democratic precincts because the ballots were just too complicated. Certainly residents of those States can sympathize with the Sunni districts of Iraq, where the violence is too great for elections to be fair.

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So what will happen? Who knows. Certainly I don't. It's sort of like getting ready for The Big Dance, isn't it? Who will dance? Who will not? Who will be asked? Who will be rejected?

The stakes, of course, are a bit higher. But even as we speak, the band warms up, the players begin to get in tune...