Iraqi PM Al-Maliki Tells Bush, Rice It's No 'Big Deal' to Control Mahdi Army

[ECH1969]

President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed the Iraqi prime minister on Thursday to disband a heavily armed Shiite militia blamed for much of the country's sectarian violence and were told by Nouri al-Maliki that controlling the group was no "big deal."

Bush and Rice repeatedly probed al-Maliki on his plans to deal with the Mahdi Army militia loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the aide said. The Iraqi prime minister was noncommittal.

"It is not a big problem and we will find a solution for it," the official quoted al-Maliki as telling Bush.

At a news conference after their meetings, Bush declined to answer a question about the al-Sadr issue and deferred to al-Maliki.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,233261,00.html

[iconoclastic cat]

1. Holy crap! And on Fox no less!

The wheels are coming off.

[ECH1969]

2. It is an AP article

Fox, ABC, and NBC just reprint the article that the AP types up.

[yellowcanine]

3. "No big deal?" Then why hasn't he done it? Either he is lying or he hasn't wanted to control them.

Not a good situation either way.

[Javaman]

4. I'd bet on a little from column A and a little from column B. nt

[lapfog_1]

6. Mostly column A

He's lying. His last trip to Sadr City proved it. The Hadley memo is, by and large, correct.

[Javaman]

7. True, a huge scoop from column A and a little from column B :) nt

[Tempest]

5. He can't control them and will never be able to

There was a good segment on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday where al-Maliki's inability to control the militia groups was detailed at great length.

Basically, the militia groups are too diverse, have too many leaders and are at odds with the Iraqi government. Al Sadr is the most powerful and his group almost shut down the government when they threatened to walk out over al-Maliki's meeting with Bush.

Several Iraq experts all agreed that al-Maliki's days are numbered. Either the U.S. will take him out (not necessarily by violence) or the al Sadr group within the government will marginalize him to where he's completely ignored.

[Vidar]

8. There goes the easy victory.

[VegasWolf]

9. "No problemo Mon! We get right to it! You see! You give moe dollars!" nt

[some guy]

10. more marginalizing of Bush

I don't know whether al-Maliki can control al-Sadr's militia or not, but he doesn't seem to want to:

" Al-Maliki, according to the official, told Bush that Iraq recently gave Syria a list of names of senior members of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party who are living in Syria and continue to play a role in the Sunni-led insurgency that has torn at Iraq since 2003. "

This reads like he's more interested in quashing Sunni's, which wouldbe in line with al-Sadr's militia as well.

As to marginalizing Bush:

" A senior al-Maliki aide who attended Thursday's talks said the Iraqi leader presented Bush a blueprint for the equipping and training of Iraqi security forces. "

this pretty clearly indicates Bush is no longer in the driver seat as far as al-Maliki is concerned.