Hurry up and finish our, I mean your constitution already!

So, Iraqi leaders failed to meet their arbitrary deadline this week for completing their constitution. Iraq's parliament agreed on Monday to allow an extra week for negotiations on the constitution after politicians asked for more time to reach a deal and postponed a Monday deadline. They just can't decide on the little things, like oh, granting more than 50% of their population (their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters) equal rights.

But experts warned that too much pressure from the U.S. could backfire and undermine the leadership's credibility of Iraq. "Clearly the deadline is not working as there are still such big issues outstanding and putting pressure on them to meet the timetable is probably causing more division among the Iraqis than consensus," said Iraq expert David Phillips of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Middle East specialist Shibley Telhami said he thought the United States was playing too big a role in helping draft the constitution and this posed a credibility problem for the current Iraqi leaders. "The U.S. ambassador there is very visible in his meetings over the constitution. There is the impression that the United States is driving this, and that is not a good thing," said Telhami of the Brookings Institution.

I am picturing our forefathers, sitting around drafting our Constitution, with oh let's say the French hovering over their shoulders: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Empire?... No, um Sovereignty? No... ahh yes Union (good one Thomas, thank you George). Ok where were we, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of..." Monsieurs, hâte et le finissent! Sorry sorry, I'll speed it up, almost done, give me another week.