Jeff Flake: “I have had the good fortune over the years of being in two countries when they have been drafting a constitution. I…”

“I have had the good fortune over the years of being in two countries when they have been drafting a constitution. I spent time in southern Africa in the country of Namibia in 1990 when they were sitting down after their first elections and drafting their first Constitution; and I was able to see that process firsthand, to see a country draft its first constitution and actually look to the future with hope and optimism. It was a similar experience here, if the gentleman will recall. In Baghdad we were meeting with Ambassador Bremer, and on the coffee table was a copy of the interim constitution that they would approve later that night, with a scratch-out here, a circle here, a white-out here; and it was just amazing to see that. It was appreciated, I think, on a number of levels. As the gentleman mentioned, we were able to go to Basra, and one thing that strikes you when you go to Basra is the utter neglect that the southern half of Iraq has faced over the years.”