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Iraq | |
Iraqi leader tells Bush: Get Gen Petraeus out | |
2007-07-28 | |
Source is the Telegraph, you know what that can mean Relations between the top United States general in Iraq and Nouri al-Maliki, the country's prime minister, are so bad that the Iraqi leader made a direct appeal for his removal to President George W Bush. Although the call was rejected, aides to both men admit that Mr Maliki and Gen David Petraeus engage in frequent stand-up shouting matches, differing particularly over the US general's moves to arm Sunni tribesmen to fight al-Qa'eda. One Iraqi source said Mr Maliki used a video conference with Mr Bush to call for the general's signature strategy to be scrapped. "He told Bush that if Petraeus continues, he would arm Shia militias," said the official. "Bush told Maliki to calm down." At another meeting with Gen Petraeus, Mr Maliki said: "I can't deal with you any more. I will ask for someone else to replace you." Gen Petraeus admitted that the relationship was stormy, saying: "We have not pulled punches with each other." President Bush's support for Mr Maliki is deeply controversial within the US government because of the Iraqi's ties to Shia militias responsible for some of the worst sectarian violence.
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Posted by:Sherry |
#15 Bah. Petraeus could walk on water and the MSM headline will still be "Petraeus Can't Swim." Americans have heard this is a failure over their morning bran flakes for three years and now they can't believe anything else. |
Posted by: regular joe 2007-07-28 23:11 |
#14 When this appears in the NYT or WaPo, it will be confirming very good news indeed. It's also a set up for Petraeus/POTUS to claim success in the surge, and announce redployments. It's also, also a way to lever the Iraqi government around quite a bit - mix the stew a bit, beyond simply the police and army - admittedly it will take a while for them to ever move all the way from fear through respect to trust, but Petraeus is making great political-military progress. Shame you can't find this analysis, let alone informed speculation, anywhere in the popular press. |
Posted by: Halliburton - Colonial Affairs Division 2007-07-28 22:37 |
#13 This is not a black and white issue Nope. It's "us vs. them" in the sense "USA goals vs. al Maliki personal/family/tribe goals". |
Posted by: gromgoru 2007-07-28 22:30 |
#12 They need to clean out a lot of the current government. Then they need to come over here and clean up ours. |
Posted by: DarthVader 2007-07-28 22:12 |
#11 And by the way, in the past, I have referred to our inability to hit JAM due to "political" constraints... Maliki is the source of much of those constraints. Looks like the IA is becoming far too effective and non-sectarian for one-sided a-holes like him. When the IP gets there, he will be scare witless, because the police will investigate him and find exactly how badly he misused his authority to undermine any effort at defeating the Shia militias. |
Posted by: OldSpook 2007-07-28 22:01 |
#10 Maliki has been the major problem. He screws ANY non-Shia general who is effective, relieving them of command or moving them around, if non-Shia units are becoming too effective against Shia, he has them moved. al-Maliki has become a tool of Iran. Time to send him good pictures of his family, taken through a bomb sight camera, with the numbers to his swiss bank accounts embossed ont he pictures. |
Posted by: OldSpook 2007-07-28 21:57 |
#9 Doh! The above article's author is actually Sami Moubayed. |
Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-28 20:09 |
#8 Maliki had threatened Petraeus with the arming of Shia malitia with Iraqi government weapons He needs his ass handed to him on a platter for that. Is there anyone we can trust among this ME swine herd? Short answer: No. Long answer: There is no "trust" to be had with Muslims. There are only varying degrees of mistrust. Here's an excerpt from an article by Khudayr Taher, the Shi'ite Muslim who has bravely called upon the United States to deport all of its Muslim population. The only contradictory statement, which shatters much of the flattering talk revolving around Maliki, was made by Khudayr Taher, a US-based Shi'ite writer who has known Maliki since their days in exile in Syria in the 1980s. |
Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-28 20:06 |
#7 Seems like only yesterday that Maliki was "the one" -- honorable, committed, tough... it's not to be. Is there anyone we can trust among this ME swine herd? |
Posted by: regular joe 2007-07-28 19:53 |
#6 Agree with all. al-Maliki is complicit wot the deaths of scores of US service members. Petraeus's strategy is several steps in the right direction. If the Shias can't learn to share the power, piss on them. |
Posted by: anymouse 2007-07-28 19:35 |
#5 This is not a black and white issue, but I'll bet Petraeus is probably more right than Maliki. Maliki does have to represent the majority (Shiite) opinion, but it seems to me those who wanted guns for jihad would have them in their posession already. Perhaps Maliki just needs lessons in logic, listening, compromising, consequences, and civility. You know, all those things his society seems to eschew in favor of selfishness and anger. |
Posted by: gorb 2007-07-28 19:33 |
#4 Another article I read said that Maliki had threatened Petraeus with the arming of Shia malitia with Iraqi government weapons. The article did not give Petraeus' response, but I can imagine. |
Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-07-28 18:41 |
#3 Zenster - agreed. The first thing I thought when I saw the headline is that the surge is DEFINITELY working... to the point where al-Maliki's political backers are getting nervous. |
Posted by: eLarson 2007-07-28 17:58 |
#2 Mr Maliki also enjoys the backing of Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador and his predecessor, Zalmay Khalilzad, now America's representative at the United Nations That gives me several more reasons to back Gen. Petraeus totally. Previous reports Egyptian intelligence warned us of Maliki's ties to Iranian Shia & lo and behold, he goes out a London window. Trust no one. |
Posted by: Danielle 2007-07-28 17:46 |
#1 Maliki's desire for Petraeus' departure is in direct proportion the Surge's success. The sooner Maliki is thrust from office the faster peace might be obtained in Iraq. Maliki's collusion with Moqtada Sadr has cost many American lives. |
Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-28 17:45 |