NEWS AND VIEWS

A turning point? This report could be very significant in the on-going battle for Iraq.

Influential Sunni Muslim clerics who once condemned Iraqi security force members as traitors made a surprise turnaround yesterday and encouraged citizens to join the nascent police and army. If heeded, the announcement could strengthen the image of the officers and soldiers trying to take over the fight against the Sunni-led insurgency.

Still, it wasn't a full-fledged endorsement. The edict, endorsed by a group of 64 Sunni clerics and scholars, instructed enlistees to refrain from helping foreign troops against their own countrymen.

Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samarrai, a cleric in the Association of Muslim Scholars, read the edict during a sermon at a major Sunni mosque in Baghdad. He said it was necessary for Sunnis to join the security forces to prevent Iraqi police and army from falling into ''the hands of those who have caused chaos, destruction, and violated the sanctities."

It seemed to be a recognition by the Sunni minority, which dominated under former dictator Saddam Hussein, that Iraq's interim government is slowly retaking control of the nation and paving the way for a US withdrawal.

It appears as if the Sunni minority is finally beginning to realize that the insurgency will not frighten the U.S. into withdrawing prematurely and, without such a withdrawal, they do not have the capability to re-form an authoritarian, Sunni-dominated government. It's beginning to look like victory, after all.

Former Clinton Administration National Security Advisor Sandy Berger pleads guilty to taking and destroying documents from the National Archives. No reason was given why he did it (it isn't necessary as part of this particular plea). Let the speculation begin.

Oil prices continue to rise. If you read this Washington Times article, you will see that experts disagree about what it portends for the future. My own view is that we are in for a number of years of high oil prices as demand continues to rise. However, the high prices themselves will have an impact. Presumably, demand here in the U.S. will be impacted as consumers look for more fuel-efficient automobiles. Will any slowdown in demand here be enough to offset the increase in demand in places like China? Probably not. But the fact that these things cannot be easily predicted, plus the possibility that new reserves could be found, or known reserves more easily exploited due to advancing technology, make for the widely divergent predictions from the experts.

Two issues in the news today presage, I think, potentially explosive political debates in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. A new poll shows an increasing number of Americans oppose gay marriage. Meanwhile, a group of volunteers are massing along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexican border to express their opposition to the influx of illegals from Mexico. Both these issues are absolutely excruciating for our political elites of both parties. Elite opinion in this country is heavily in favor of allowing gays to be married and allowing foreigners to come into this country in large numbers. Yet, popular opinion is mainly opposes to both (more so on the immigration issue than gay marriage, but solid majorities are opposed in both instances). Will there be a candidate for President who will exploit one or both of these issues? Will he (or she) have the gravitas and pedigree to avoid being labeled as a 'fringe candidate' by the MSM? If someone does come forward who fits that description, watch out. The heartland is seething (especially Red State America and, on immigration at least, significant pockets of Blue State America) on these issues.