BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 25 - Ali Sami's hands were flying around his photocopying machine like a short order cook's. With customers waiting in his small Baghdad copy shop he was not about to pause for anything, especially not a question about Iraq's new draft constitution.
"What constitution are you talking about?" Mr. Sami, a Shiite, said sardonically. "We are fed up with this thing! We would prefer to solve our problems first, such as electricity, water and security. How come they gathered to approve the constitution while Iraqis are slaughtered?"
As Iraq's political leaders met this week in the fortified Green Zone to try to resolve the remaining disputes over the draft, ordinary Iraqis everywhere were of various minds about what it all meant. The drafters turned in an incomplete document to the National Assembly on Monday just before midnight and gave themselves three extra days to finish it, but on Thursday little progress had been made.
At the more hopeful end of the spectrum of opinion, some Iraqis say they view the latest developments as a step toward creating a full and thriving democracy. But for others, caught in a struggle for survival amid war and doubtful public services, all the wrangling over abstract concepts could just as well be happening on Mars.
"What can I do with a constitution if I have no water, gasoline and electricity?" asked Hanan Sahib, 29, a Shiite database operator at a telecommunications company in Baghdad, echoing Mr. Sami's thoughts. The main problem, she added, was security, particularly for women. Iraqi leaders and the Bush administration hope that a constitution with widespread public support will help to legitimize democratic rule and undermine the Sunni-backed insurgency that is trying to topple the government and drive out the United States forces.
In spite of the obvious sectarian divides among the country's political parties, and a sectarian tinge to some of the country's violence, a random sampling of ordinary Iraqis here and in several other cities this week revealed that sentiment about the constitution often does not hew to any such divisions. In fact, many Iraqis say, religious allegiances rarely intrude on everyday life: Shiites marry Sunnis, Muslims shop alongside Christians, everyone waits in the same long lines to get gas and suffers the same power and water shortages.
Some people, when asked about the constitution, expressed particular concern about the very issues that are bedeviling the negotiators, including the role of Islam in the constitution, and federalism. But most seemed to view the process as an abstraction beyond their control and of less immediate importance than the challenge of making it through the day.
"The constitution is good because it represents a new birth and a new life that we have been waiting for," said Muhammad Jasim Kazem, 35, a Shiite building contractor in Baghdad. But amid more pressing concerns, he admitted, he had not had time to follow the process. "Frankly, I have been very busy with the problems of electricity and water, because these things are very necessary for living," he said.
Patience with the current government, led by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, has worn thin around the country as violence has worsened and public services have failed to improve significantly. Many people, in fact, say the performance of Iraq's political leaders has done little to encourage faith among a populace that is still reeling from the hardships under Saddam Hussein.
"They are interested in their personal interests only and not in the public interest of Iraq and its people," said Haydar al-Saad, 34, a painter and a Shiite, while eating a snack in a sandwich shop in the southern city of Basra.
"I am not very convinced about what is going on behind the curtains," Shawkat Falih, 40, a Sunni street vendor in Baghdad, said darkly. "The process should be visible and audible to the Iraqi people."
Early Tuesday morning, after the draft was delivered to the National Assembly, some Shiite communities in the south were apparently under the impression that Parliament had agreed on a draft. Television stations broadcast images of people dancing in the streets of the holy city of Najaf, a reaction that confounded others more attuned to the developments.
"I still don't understand why the people celebrated," said Imen Abdul Jalel, 38, a Shiite engineer in Najaf. "The negotiation is still running and they still have no deal."
The Najaf celebrators were not alone in their confusion, however. The missed deadlines have even left some in the political class wondering what is going on and questioning the legality of the process.
But some Iraqis, like Muhammad al-Azawi, 45, the Sunni owner of a busy electrical appliance shop in central Baghdad, saw the disarray as a sign of democracy coming to life, however haltingly.
"As long as the process is ongoing, it is a success to honest Iraqis," he said. "The compass is in the right direction."
Muhammad Hassan, 57, who read the text of the draft in a local newspaper, said it looked as if it provided "enough guarantees to protect human rights," though he acknowledged that some people might fear what he called its "religious spirit."
"Maybe in the future, and after practicing freedom, people can change things," said Mr. Hassan, a Shiite chemical engineer. "We should not be afraid."
