To the Point

The Interim Constitution and the Future US Role in Iraq

Coordinated bombings in Baghdad and Karbala made Tuesday the deadliest day in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Vice President Cheney calls it -desperation- by those opposed to the interim constitution. Others fear a decline into religious civil war. With the approach of the June deadline for transferring political power, General John Abizaid, the head of US Central Command, told Congress today that despite an expected increase in violence, the US is reducing its profile in Baghdad, although he said that the US had mot intention of abandoning the Iraqi police. As the US begins its biggest troop transfer since World War II, we look at the prospects for stability before November's election with journalists in Iraq, experts in defense and conflict prevention and resolution, and former State Department and intelligence officers. Reporter's Notebook: 9-11 Commission Update An independent commission is looking into intelligence reports made before September 11 that Al Qaeda was planning a big attack on American soil. Although Bill Clinton and Al Gore have agreed to testify, and Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert has allowed the Commission 60 more days to make its final report. Philip Shenon, who is covering the story for the New York Times, says the panel is still wrestling with the Bush White House.