What do people in the region think?
The Daily Star Editorial "Maliki walks a fine line in his recent efforts to put Iraq first" at http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=84653
states "It has been nearly a year since Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made it a point to blatantly tell President George W. Bush: "I consider myself a friend of the US, but I'm not America's man in Iraq." Yet despite this firm declaration, which was widely publicized by media outlets around the globe, the Iraqi premier has had a hard time shaking off the impression that his every move is determined by his puppetmasters in Washington. However, during the past few weeks, as the premier has come under increasing pressures at home with all Sunni Arab ministers either boycotting or quitting Cabinet, Maliki has begun to show increasing signs of spine and independent initiative... Maliki's credibility may already be worn too thin for him to be able to foster a sense of national unity at home, and his efforts abroad may be complicated by tense international relations.... Maliki will have to navigate the pressures that will no doubt result from his attempts to set a new Iraqi agenda. In doing so, he will need to be careful not to fall into the trap of being America's man in Iraq, or Iran's or Syria's. He will need to keep his sights on being the man of a united Iraqi people."
Dear red stater think of it like this. In the US W doesn't give a flying "expletive deleted" about anyone outside of the top1%! That's his base and where he comes from. In Iraq, transfer this rationale to the Shiites, the top 60%, which is Maliki's base and where he comes from.
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