Is Prime Minister al-Maliki His Own Man?........

Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon told reporters in a telephone conference call after a White House meeting that the president had told him and several other senators that the plan for the additional troops had originated with Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Maliki had made commitments that the Iraqi government and military would take steps to strengthen security in exchange for more U.S. troops.

Did Maliki really say this to * or did * make him say this and support this to give his 'surge/escalation' justification?

Wasn't Makiki hand picked by *Co?

Wonder what his bank account looks like with all the "donations" from W and the world corporatists.

BushCo would have loved it if the Iraqi rubes woulda swallowed Chalabi. But that was a no-go, necessitating that they throw him under the bus...but they would have loved it if they could have sold that clown to the nation.

We aren't managing events there anymore. That became abundantly clear when al-Sadr told the US military they couldn't come into "his" city-slum, and they said, "UH....OK..."

I think Sadr wants the extra troops so his militiamen can stand down from infiltrating the police and army a bit, and go kill them a few more troublesome Sunnis. I swear, al-Sadr thinks he can play the US, via al-Maliki, like the King of Saudi Arabia does, summoning Dick to give him an ass-chewing...

. . . but he has to check with the Frat Boy first.

Nouri al-Maliki is a puppet with multiple puppeteers competing to pull his strings.

Maliki got his job in a compromise between Washington and his Shi'ite backers.
He serves two masters, but Maliki is in no position to say "no" to the Bush
administration or stand up to the Mehdi Army.

Maliki went along with the "surge" to keep Washington happy and suggested a deal
that Bush would accept. Don't count on Maliki to keep his word. He simply can't.
The militias will undermine the latest security push as surely as they hijacked
the Saddam execution.

In as much as the Bush cabal lets him be his own man. :eyes: