First question, sir, what is the real significance of this new Iraqi government?
SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Well, if you think about it the terrorists, the violent extremists have been working for a couple of years now trying to prevent progress in Iraq. They tried to stop the election a year ago January and they failed. They tried to stop the drafting of the constitution and they failed. They tried to stop the referendum on the constitution last October 15th and they failed. Then there was the election December 15th of last year to elect a new Iraqi government for a sovereign nation. They tried to stop that and they failed. Now they’re trying to stop the formation of a new government and once again, they’re going to fail. The Iraqi leadership has gone ahead and selected the top seven political leaders for the period ahead, for the coming government, which is an enormous accomplishment. They’ve had some tough negotiations, some politicking and pulling and hauling, and of course that’s what government is about in a representative system. You had 10 or 12 million Iraqis tha
