Today, columnist Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post reports important leaders in the new  Iraqi democracy want assurances that the U.S.will not cut and run. Given the gravity of this request, of course the Post reported this on the front page above the fold. Oh, my mistake, it ran on the Op—Ed page A19. Despite this rather quixotic editorial placement this meeting will soon be recognized as an important development on the Iraqi front. Diehl's report came out of a meeting he and several other journalists held with Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi  in Washington prior to Labor Day. Mahdi is one of the Iraqis whove have laid their lives on the line, working tirelessly to get this fledgling democracy off the ground. According to Diehl, Mahdi called his meetings with President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and key senators and congressmen a "private visit." His principal purpose was to deliver a message, and ask a question, on...(Read Full Post)