So last week, in Amman, Jordan, Bully Boy is all set to meet with his puppet, Nouri al-Maliki, for in depth discussions on Iraq. But things play out a little differently.
Wednesday, Bully Boy waits for his prom date who never comes. (See Isaiah's "Bully Parker.") Thursday, there's a Brief Encounter. So the puppet's pulling the strings now, eh?
Or is he? From last Thursday's "Iraq snapshot:"
Did no one read the memo yesterday? The memo was published (online) by the New York Times. Did anyone bother to read it? What did Stephen Hadley write about ways that the puppet could look strong? Handing him "additional control over Iraq forces, although we must recognize that in the immediate time frame, we would likely be able to give him more authority over existing forces, not more forces."
Apparently there was no point in the Times publishing that memo, even those who read it appear to act as though they hadn't.
Apparently there was no point in the Times publishing that memo, even those who read it appear to act as though they hadn't.
Oh yeah, the Hadley memo. Written November 8th and filled with ideas to make the puppet look strong. Was that all the Wednesday response was?
There were problems in Iraq, the Sadr bloc did follow through on their statement that they would walk out of Parliament if the puppet met with the Bully Boy. They announced that the Friday before the visit. Does al-Maliki see the Sadr bloc as bluffers? Was it a surprise to him that they followed up on their word?
It shouldn't have been. So what prompted the last minute decision not to meet with the Bully Boy?
It could be any number of reasons. The memo should be read, not reports on it. al-Maliki showed spine once before in calling an end to the (daytime) checkpoints in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. Was this spine and, if so, why did it come so late? The memo concludes of the puppet:
The information he receives is undoubtedly skewed by his small circle of Dawa advisers, coloring his actions and interpretation of reality. 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. 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.
Hadley tried to downplay that any critical judgement had been passed on al-Maliki but it's clear, in the above excerpt, that he was judged to be questionable (at best).
If it wasn't staged and al-Maliki was showing some spine, it may be too little at this late date. Already in the Parliament new groups are being discussed. Hadley acknowledges the possibility of a different prime minister in the memo. Thursday, on KPFA's Flashpoints, Dahr Jamail told Nora Barrows-Friedman the question of replacing al-Maliki isn't a question of 'if" but "when."
If Wednesday's out in the cold actually resulted from spine and not an attempt to manipulate people into believing he was less of a puppet, he picked a bad time to exhibit that.