Outlook grim for timely oil deal

Efforts to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq received a double blow Sunday.

Lawmakers acknowledged that there are still many differences on a proposed law to manage oil revenue, the country’s most lucrative resource, making it unlikely they would approve a law before September, when the Bush administration must report to Congress on Iraq’s progress toward meeting certain legislative benchmarks. The report is expected to have an impact on whether Congress continues to support the Iraq war.

ChicagoTribune