“While in Iraq, I met with the leaders of the Governing Council,” Franks said.  “I believed them to be committed, dedicated people who now had a taste of freedom and would seek to protect it.” 

“Further, I hope that the powerful Bill of Rights remains in the final, permanent Constitution.  The mechanism requiring wide agreement from Iraq’s provinces for any constitutional amendment in effect provides for a Kurdish veto to the permanent Constitution and serves as a check against an Islamist state in the future.

“By protecting religious freedom in the Interim Constitution, this is a major win for freedom.  I believe that freedom of religion serves as the cornerstone of democracy because a government’s guarantee of freedom of religion indicates acceptance of the premise of democracy – that is, that every individual has value and worth, and that the state is constituted to serve society, not vice versa.  The fact that the Constitution grants each Iraqi the right to religious freedom and belief, freedom of expression, association, assembly, and movement, for example, is an indication of the transformation that is taking place in Iraq, and the people’s interest in a free Iraq following the Hussein regime’s demise.”