Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Has "Pinocchio Syndrome"

Its becoming obvious Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants to be "real" and no longer a Bushco puppet.

U.S. officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are increasingly at odds over strategy and goals, a division that American officials in Iraq say is making it harder to pursue their objectives.

On Wednesday, al-Maliki denounced a U.S. bombing mission in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City that the United States said had killed a notorious Shiite Muslim death-squad member. He also rejected a call Tuesday by the two top U.S. officials in Iraq for a timetable for his government to tackle the nation's most intractable problems.

"This government is one of popular will and national unity, and it is nobody's right to put timetables before it," al-Maliki said.

It was at least the third time in recent weeks that al-Maliki had publicly contradicted U.S. positions, and it underscored that he draws much of his support from the very militia groups that the United States is pressing him to dismantle.

The differences with the White House were also evident during President Bush's news conference in Washington on Wednesday.

"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," Bush said in an opening statement. "I'm not satisfied, either."

He said the United States was pressing al-Maliki to move more quickly and warned that "America's patience is not unlimited."

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