Maliki Cancels On Bush

November 30, 2006 | By Sniper One |

President Bush may not of felt snubbed, but it’s got me swearing under my breath.

AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 29 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq and King Abdullah II of Jordan abruptly backed out of a meeting with President Bush on Wednesday, leaving the White House scrambling to explain why a carefully planned summit meeting had suddenly been cut from two days to one.

So lets see here…

We remove Saddam from power
We provide for elections
We have around one hundred and fifty thousand troops trying to keep your people from killing people

…and you repay us by canceling a meeting with the President of the US to whom you owe so much.

Saying that I’m not impressed is an understatement.

The fact that the New York Times leaked a classified memo questioning al-Maliki’s motives and competence doesn’t help my assessment of the situation.

“His intentions seem good when he talks with Americans, and sensitive reporting suggests he is trying to stand up to the Shia hierarchy and force positive change,” the memo said of the Iraqi leader. “But the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action.”

(The fact that the memo should not of been leaked by the NYT is covered in this post.)

I believe that it is fair to say that at least fifty percent of the problem in Iraq can be directly linked to the weak and anemic actions of the current government. They are not doing enough to police their own people, and are not doing enough to stop the sectarian violence. I’ve said before that victory in Iraq requires the Iraqis, and I maintain that point of view.

Maliki either doesn’t care, or is too weak to take care of the problem. He either needs to grow a set, be replaced, or be given what he needs to do the job. So stop pussyfooting around, kill al-Sadr, and get control of your damn country so we can leave.

The Kingdom of Saud is talking about getting involved in the situation.. .

Over the past year, a chorus of voices has called for Saudi Arabia to protect the Sunni community in Iraq and thwart Iranian influence there. Senior Iraqi tribal and religious figures, along with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and other Arab and Muslim countries, have petitioned the Saudi leadership to provide Iraqi Sunnis with weapons and financial support. Moreover, domestic pressure to intervene is intense. Major Saudi tribal confederations, which have extremely close historical and communal ties with their counterparts in Iraq, are demanding action. They are supported by a new generation of Saudi royals in strategic government positions who are eager to see the kingdom play a more muscular role in the region.

Frankly, that sounds like the best idea I have heard in a long time. Arabs taking control of the region, and setting their own problems… so we can get the hell out with some semblance of our ass left.

Also Posting:

Open Trackbacks: