First, the good news (we're not the MSM here).The three man Presidential Council has approved the 2008 budget and an amnesty law passed by Parliament. The budget was especially important because it earmarks funds for the provinces and will help immensely in reconstruction.The bad news is that the same Council rejected the provincial elections bill:"No agreement has been reached in the Presidency Council to approve the provincial elections draft law and it has been sent back to the parliament to reconsider the rejected articles," the council said in a statement. The panel is composed of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi. The White House said it does not believe the setback for the provincial election law has dealt a fatal blow to the measure. White House press secretary Dana Perino said the Bush administration would have liked the law to move forward without complications, but added: "This...(Read Full Post)