Political Reconciliation in Iraq?

The New York Times reported Iraq Eases Curb for Former Officials of Hussein’s Party. "The Iraqi Parliament passed a bill on Saturday that would allow some former officials from Saddam Hussein’s party to fill government positions but would impose a strict ban on others. The legislation is the first of the major so-called political benchmark measures to pass after months of American pressure for progress."

It will allow some Sunnis to work in the government and will force others out. The numbers vary depending on who is talking. In general though the Shiites seem happy about it and the Sunnis not so much. The LA Times story is harsher about the law and Hullabaloo following up on that in Myth of Progress Grows Mythier actually uses the phrase "death sentence".

Still the surge supporters are happy because it's one of the political benchmarks that the surge was supposed to enable. "While the legislation would be the first major new law sought by the Bush administration intended to help reconcile Iraq’s warring factions, other so-called benchmark laws continue to be stalled. Those include measures that would allow provincial elections, contemplate constitutional changes sought by Sunnis, and spell out rules governing the development and distribution of the country’s huge oil reserves."

Andrew Sullivan comments The Surge Wins One "What does all this mean? No one can know for sure. Except for this: if there is any indication of national reconciliation, even if it is fleeting and ephemeral and qualified, the argument for sinking more money and time into Iraq will, it seems to me, gain strength. If the Congress couldn't force withdrawal in the circumstances of last summer, I can't see how it will do so in the future when the war's objectives seem marginally less out-of-reach."

He goes on to say "Since the failure of nerve by the opposition last summer, the US has effectively decided to occupy Iraq for the rest of our lives." and speculates about what the presidential candidates will be forced to do.