The Moment

It's a strange thing to say about anything that leads to brawls in parliament, angry demonstrations and fiery rhetoric from the Prime Minister. But the deal between the U.S. and Iraq over the future presence of American troops has unified Iraq in unexpected ways. Politicians agree that the U.S. military must withdraw, and soon--and while they disagree fiercely about whether the end of 2011 is soon enough, the debate has brought together some unlikely bedfellows. Sunni hard-liners joined Shi'ites loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in opposing the deal, while Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won enthusiastic backing from Anbar province sheiks ordinarily scornful of his government.

The import of the deal, known as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), is inarguable: after nearly six years, it would mark the beginning of the end of the U.S. occupation. Under SOFA's terms, the U.S. would withdraw nearly all 150,000 of its troops by New Year's Day 2012, leaving Iraq's security in the hands of its own army.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary drama has united Iraqis of all persuasions into a nation of SOFA potatoes: not since Saddam Hussein's trial have so many been transfixed by a legal debate. In restaurants and cafés across Baghdad, TV screens normally featuring music videos and Arabic soap operas were instead tuned to Iraqi news channels that seemed at times to be devoted exclusively to the story. It was democracy as reality TV. Iraqis watched as politicians denounced each other across the parliament floor and as Maliki griped at a press conference that failure to ratify the pact would leave the U.S. in control of Iraqi airspace, giving Americans "the right to cancel even my flights."

There's one thing Iraqis on both sides have in common: their opinions may ultimately be irrelevant after Barack Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20. The next U.S. President has his own ideas as to when the military should leave--and he doesn't need to do a deal with his political enemies to make it happen.

Drawing Room PAGE 21