To the Point

The Legitimacy of Iraq's Interim Governing Council

In Fallujah over the week, at least 600 Iraqi civilians have been killed-including women and children. In a televised news conference today, General John Abizaid, head of the Central Command, was at pains to deny what he called inaccurate reporting by Arabic news organizations about US Marines. Although US forces say they-re gaining ground in Iraq-s southern cities, control of Fallujah remains uncertain, and there is concern that America-s show of force is creating new problems for the planned turnover of political power. Is the Governing Coalition seen as legitimate by Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds? What alternatives are there? Warren Olney speaks with a journalist in Baghdad, the former head of the UN's Iraq Program and a senior advisor to Interim Governing Council member Adnan Pachachi. Making News: Military Update from Iraq In Iraq, 7 employees of the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root are missing and unaccounted for. General Ricardo Sanchez, Iraq Coalition commander, said he had no information about their whereabouts as he updated the military's action in Fallujah. Nicholas Riccardi, who's in Baghdad for the Los Angeles Times, says the military is literally engaging in "shuttle diplomacy" as it attempts to return control to local law enforcement. Reporter's Notebook: Was PDB an Imminent Warning or Background Memo? Last week, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice told the 9-11 investigating commission that the famous August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing contained note much more than -historical material.- Over the weekend, the White House declassified the briefing itself. But that has not ended debate about what it says-or what it means, as we hear from Michael Tomasky of The American Prospect and Byron York of the National Review.