Iraqi government shows some spine

Iraq's interim government has rejected a greater role for Sunnis in the elected government to be chosen by Iraqis on Jan. 30. This strikes me as common sense. Why should the Shiites and Kurds, oppressed by the Sunni minority for centuries, give into a violent minority? Especially when it's not really even clear how much of the violence is about that.

How much of the insurgency is due to our occupation of Iraq? How much is foreign jihadis simply on a killing spree, knocking off any infidels or Shiites or Kurds they can find?

My educated guess is that the only Sunnis who are fighting for some kind of Sunni Power movement are mainly ex-Ba'athists. And from reports I've read, despite Allawi's and Bush's statements, ex-Saddam supporters and Ba'athists in general don't really seem to make up a very large portion of the insurgents. Therefore, granting Sunnis power they won't have earned through the electoral process would be useless anyway.

Besides, it's not as if the Sunnis are going to get shafted here. The Shiites and Kurds seem to be making far more effort than the Sunnis ever did for them as far as involving them in the governing process. There are lots of Sunnis on the Shiite electoral lists. Also, the Sunnis dominate the military, the civil service, and the professions. They are the wealthiest and best educated group in Iraq. Even if they don't win much in the way of elected power, they will still wield substantial power and influence in other ways.