Try as they might, the Bush administration is having a hard time putting a happy face on the fact that Iraq had to extend their deadline for coming up with a constitution.
The NYT says [1]:
The Iraqi political process descended toward paralysis on Monday, when leaders failed to meet the deadline for completing the new constitution and voted to give themselves another week to resolve fundamental disagreements over the future and identity of this fractious land.
And the WP isn't much cheerier [2]:
Iraqi factional leaders failed to meet Monday's deadline for drafting a constitution in an often-rancorous debate that appeared to have widened rifts among Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish and secular groups.
In the NYT [3], SOS Rice says:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice echoed Mr. Bush's sentiment, noting that the vote to delay indicated "considerable momentum toward completion" of the draft constitution.
I can see why the Bush team is so optimistic because apparently, the only remaining issues are around simple things, like oil and Islam. This ought to be a piece of cake.