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Now Voting on the Iraqi Constitution

Iraqis vote on Saturday for the second time since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Shiites and Kurds are mobilizing in support of the draft constitution, while the Sunnis remain split. Baathists and other groups opposed to the draft constitution have threatened violence against those who would vote, but many Sunni clerics and organizations have come out in support of the draft just this week, after some last-minute amendments were made.

Here is a great quote from a Sunni leader, reported in the LA Times:

Sunni clerics tempered their strident calls for "no" votes with appeals for dialogue and nonviolence.

"Our opinion is to reject the constitution, but in spite of that we must understand the points of view of others," Sheikh Mahmoud Sumaidaii told Friday prayer attendees at the Um Qura mosque, a Sunni place of worship. "But those threatening bloodshed shouldn't do that. We should not consider others infidels just for their opinions and not kill others for their opinions."

If this charter fails, the next election in December will elect another interim assembly, which would have to write another draft, from scratch. The upside to that is the liklihood that the Sunnis would actually participate, which they did not do in the elections this past January.

Keep an eye on the results, as it will spell out the future of American troops in the region.