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US commander now doubts troop cutbacks
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-01 09:21

"In a world where evil is still very real, democratic principles must be backed with power in all its forms," Rice said. "Any champion of democracy who promotes principle without power can make no real difference in the lives of oppressed people."

In Iraq, the Sunni Arabs who ran the country under former President Saddam Hussein but represent a minority of the population, boycotted last January's elections and thus had a smaller voice in the drafting of the constitution.

Sunni leaders have urged their followers to reject the constitution, saying it would leave them weak compared to the Shiites and Kurds who were repressed under Saddam. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad has been struggling to negotiate changes to the charter in hopes of winning Sunni support.

Senior U.S. officials, including Rumsfeld and Casey, have said they expect the draft constitution to be approved in an Oct. 15 national referendum, even if the Sunni Arabs vote against it in large numbers. Casey said in congressional testimony Thursday that it was "entirely possible" that a strong Sunni vote against the constitution would deepen the political divisions, although he did not link that to prospects for U.S. troop withdrawals.

The constitution, if approved, would form the basis for elections in December of a permanent Iraqi government.

Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., said Thursday that if the Iraqis do not reach a political accommodation by the end of the year the Bush administration should consider a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces. He stressed that this did not mean setting a date for departure "at this time," but would let the Iraqis know they did not have an unlimited time to settle their differences.

"We can't stay for an unlimited time, due to the strain on our forces," Levin said.

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