And they called Lani Guiner a "loony" for espousing the same view...

"Democracy entails not just majority rule, but protection of minority rights."

– L. Paul Bremer III, Administrator, Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

Paul Bremer made that statement after giving an overly optimistic yearend .:review:. of the American occupation of Iraq. The belated American allegiance to the protection of minority rights is an effort to keep Iraq’s Shiite majority from thinking too highly of themselves and demanding one man one vote - majority rule - in their multi-religious, multi-ethnic country. The need to satisfy the desires of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds is just one of the issues that was not thought out in America’s rush to establish new military bases and turn Iraq into a cash cow for Halliburton and Bechtel. Only painful desperation would entice a Republican to publicly declare that minority rights are sacrosanct.

...When Lani Guinier was nominated by President Clinton to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights she was called “loony” and a “quota queen” for advocating what Bremer now wants for Iraq. The unfortunate Ms. Guinier was not attempting to create a compliant puppet government. She was talking about bringing justice to the electoral system of the United States, a nation whose majority does not always appreciate minorities making too many demands or even asking too many questions.

.:read the rest:.