US general says Iraq constitution would be ‘one more nail in the coffin’ for insurgency News
US general says Iraq constitution would be ‘one more nail in the coffin’ for insurgency

[JURIST] Speaking in Washington Wednesday, senior US Marine Lieutenant General John Sattler followed up urgings from US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld [JURIST report] for timely completion of the draft of the new Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive] by saying it would be "one more nail in the coffin" of insurgents. The looming August 15 deadline has had anxious officials in both the US and Iraq pushing the Iraqi drafting committee to finish its work. Sattler said failing to keep to the schedule could open a window of opportunity for insurgents. "You need to keep it on schedule. Any time you give anyone more time to accommodate the mission at hand, you kind of open it up to slide it again and again," he said. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.