Rating The Politicians

There are 3 major players in Iraq and Muqtada al-Sadr far overshadows Maliki and Bush. He obviously knows how the game is played and against such two light weights, its like an elephant taking on a couple ants.

Sadr's group, meanwhile, couched its response as a suspension of participation in — rather than a withdrawal from — the government, allowing for it to return to the fold in exchange for concessions. And despite Washington's chagrin, Maliki will likely seek to restore the Sadrists to his coalition rather than face the collapse of his government. But the reason Washington wants Sadr out is that his group is widely viewed as a key source of sectarian violence. So as long as Maliki is looking over his shoulder in Sadr's direction rather than in Bush's, the prospects for his government enacting a national reconciliation plan that could reverse the trend towards civil war remain grim.

Oh yeah, "reverse the trend towards civil war"? They're already in a civil war.

(read more)