Arthur's Still at It

If Arthur Chrenkoff is leaving the blogosphere, we're fortunate that he hasn't quit just yet. This morning, he's posted Part 33 in his Good News from Iraq series. With news that Iraq's leaders have postponed the adoption of a new constitution, it's particularly important to remember that putting off that act by a week -- or even a bit longer -- is hardly the sign of failure that MSM are portraying it as. Today's Washington Post's headline uses the "F" word -- "Iraq Fails to Meet Constitution Deadline." The print edition of the NYT carries the sub-header, "Vast Differences Remain" and opens with these words:

"Still deadlocked after days of negotiations, Iraq's leaders decided Monday to give themselves another week to agree on the new constitution and resolve a series of fundamental disagreements over the future and identity of this fractious land."

The opening paragraph in the online edition is overtly pessimistic:

The Iraqi political process descended toward paralysis on Monday, when leaders failed to meet the deadline for completing the new constitution and voted to give themselves another week to resolve fundamental disagreements over the future and identity of this fractious land.

How about an assessment of these august papers' work that begins:

The elite American media, safely ensconced in their HQ and oblivious both to their own nation's fractious Constitutional Convention and the remarkable progress made by Iraqis in creating in their eviscerated, dictator-ruined land the beginnings of a civil society . . . .

Read Arthur, as always, for a more informed, sophisticated, and -- the liberals' favorite word this time last year -- nuanced picture of life on the ground in Iraq. That's not to say Iraqis aren't having problems, or that we can stand by idly if radical fringes try to enforce harsh Islamic law. And using our influence, including troop withdrawal timetables, to move the Iraqis along is also valid, lest our relationship with them descend into something of a welfare state-client status.

But it is to recognize that our liberal elites will never admit any progress in Iraq and will hold Iraqis to standards that they could never meet under similar circumstances. Carving a more liberal society under the rule of law from the ruins of Saddam's dictatorship is not simply a worthy goal: it's the only acceptable outcome of the war. As that process advances, haltingly but surely, we owe it to our troops, and to the Iraqis, to ignore the shrill partisans among us. A good way to do that today is to read Arthur's latest post.