Time to Treat Them as Grown-Ups ...

Military Officials Add to U.S. Criticism of Iraq’s Government

What was I saying last night about getting serious about Iraq's leadership?

In recent weeks American and Iraqi officials have privately voiced concerns that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki might not have the will or the political dexterity to bring the country together and avoid a full-scale civil war. Mr. Maliki, they say, is hamstrung and beholden to rival political parties with their own large militias.

Comments offered by senior United States military officials in the last few days have been even more pointed and take in not only the Maliki administration but also the whole of the Iraqi government bureaucracy. The senior military officials agreed to speak only without being identified, because of the delicate nature of the issue.

Another senior military official said Mr. Maliki needed to move quickly to rid ministries of death squads and militiamen. “I think the time is short for them to deal with that over time, ’cause this can’t go on like that,� the official said. Speaking about the militias and other problems, he added that “people will get tired if they don’t see any action on this.�

Just wondering ... is George W. Bush even remotely capable of doing anything to upset the applecart over situations like this (which clearly are in need of it), or is he just going to coast for two and a half more years on having puppets in place that say nice things about his "leadership"?