Iraqi Prime Minster adds insult to injury

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shrugged off U.S. doubts of his government’s military and political progress Saturday, saying Iraqi forces are capable and American troops can leave “anytime they want.” If only it were that simple, ahh politics!

The Iraq Experiment and War Frustrations

The Iraqi government is upset over the media accounts and U.S. official statements regarding Iraq. They don’t like that they are being treated as an “experiment being played out in a U.S. laboratory.” The statement gives Republicans and Democrats plenty of spin material to work with, but it is obvious that there is a growing rift and resentment between the Iraqi government, people and our U.S. military strategy and involvement.

Iraq Prime Minister shrugs off progress report

Al-Maliki sought to display confidence at a time when pressure is mounting in Congress for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces. On Thursday, the House passed a measure calling for the United States to withdraw its troops by spring, hours after the White House reported mixed progress by the Iraqi government toward meeting 18 benchmarks. During a news conference, al-Maliki shrugged off the progress report, saying that difficulty in enacting the reforms was “natural” given Iraq’s turmoil.

“We are not talking about a government in a stable political environment, but one in the shadow of huge challenges,” al-Maliki said. “So when we talk about the presence of some negative points in the political process, that’s fairly natural.”

Al-Maliki says time needed to meet U.S. measures / goals

Al-Maliki said his government needs “time and effort” to enact the political reforms that Washington seeks — “particularly since the political process is facing security, economic and services pressures, as well as regional and international interference.” But he said that if necessary, Iraqi police and soldiers could fill the void left by the departure of coalition forces.

Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
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