President Bush and his administration looked like they were going to show some spine in dealing with the renegade State Department, but that was short-lived. They have decided to extend the deadline for State Department diplomats to apply for Iraq duty, to try to avoid confrontation. Here's the news on the backpedaling from the administration:

WASHINGTON - The State Department has extended a window for diplomats to volunteer for Iraq duty in the hope the Bush administration can avoid ordering potentially unwilling candidates to serve in the combat zone, officials said Tuesday.

The department has put off until at least the end of the week the process of selecting foreign service officers for so-called "directed assignments" to Iraq as it looks for more volunteers to fill 48 spots that will come open at the Baghdad embassy and outlying provinces this summer, the officials said.

You know what happens to soldiers who desert their assignments? They're charged as criminals, serve time, and receive dishonorable discharges. You know what should happen to people who claim to serve America's diplomatic interests but refuse to do their duty? The very same. If you choose to serve in the State Department, you have a duty to America's diplomatic goals, and right now, one of those goals is a free and stable Iraq. Don't like the risk? Don't take the damn job.