power, power, everywhere...

I must admit that at first I was shocken then impressed by the early transfer of power to the Iraqi President. but now I feel like it's a poor move.

the fact is, it acknowledges a very true but very disturbing fact: that the government can't currently control what goes on in the country, and has to accomodate the terrorists inside. as any student of intl relations will tell you, it's the job of a state to have a monopoly on the legitimite use of force within its borders. how can it be good to found a state two days early, essentially because one cannot fulfill that basic function of a state?

and what of the Iraqi election in January? handovers among elites can be moved up, but elections cannot. so January 2 shall be the real wait and see date. along with a certain other election tuesday in November, of course.

meanwhile, I'm heartened by the fact that the Supreme Court had the good sense to give legal recourse to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. the more the US applies the concepts of rule of law within its borders, the less other countries will fear and balance against us. Shame on the Bush Administration for rejecting basic enlightenment principles of law, justice, and rights, effectively letting the terrorists win. and cheers to the six members of the supreme court who saw the light.