To many, President Bush's sudden rush to speed the transition in Iraq, forming a government first and a constitution later, has the feel of an election-year ploy. It allows the United States to wash its hands of a mounting public relations problem just in time for the 2004 elections.

There may be some truth to this, in which case everyone should be thankful for an election year. Until now, no one was sure how the transition was supposed to play out. Meanwhile, soldiers from the United States, Italy and elsewhere are being murdered indiscriminately, a little at a time, with no end in sight.

But still, timetable or not, the transition is not going to be easy, and the United States must make certain that Iraq doesn't fall back into Baathist hands after the troops pull out. Too much American blood has been shed for the cause to be lost.

The Bush administration had wanted to help the Iraqis establish a stable government before handing the nation back to them. Now, it will try to hand the nation over first and trust them to put things together on their own. That could be a tricky proposition. Lacking a constitution, there is no way to adequately ensure a safe and fair process for electing a provisional government, which gives an advantage to the Shiite majority.

But with casualties mounting and hopelessness growing, the freedom-loving elements in Iraq needed something to help them see a way out of the mess. The election timetable, culminating with full and free elections in 2005, gives them a tangible goal with which to weather the onslaught from Saddam Hussein loyalists.

It gives the opposition a tangible goal, as well. If they can postpone the elections and the constitution through continued violence and mayhem, they will have scored a huge victory.

That violence apparently has scared many nations away from joining the cause in Iraq. That has put the United States in an unenviable position, trying to tame a nation where unseen elements continue to attack.

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