Liberating Iraqis from their rights

James Wolcott watches Press the Meat so we don't have to.

Reuel Marc Gerecht, discussing the forthcoming Iraqi constitution on Meet the Press, August 21: "Women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy. We hope they're there, I think they will be there, but I think we need to keep this perspective."

So those who think this war isn't worth fighting are shameful because of their craven indifference to women's rights while one of the leading neocon architects of the very war that Simon champions--and not just any architect, but a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the Director of the Middle East Initiative for the Project for the New American Century--isn't that concerned that a new Iraq constitution might roll back and restrict women's freedoms, subjecting them to Islamic law.

His exact words to MTP guest host David Gregory were, "Actually, I'm not terribly worried about this."

Neat.

As Digby notes, women have had equal rights in Iraq for 40 years, and religious freedom was, at least tolerated, even under the evil dictator.

At the cost of thousands of lives, hundreds of millions of dollars, and our credibility, we have created the ripe atmosphere for either a failed state that will make Afghanistan look like Euro Disney, or an Islamic state similar to our ally, Iran.