In the just-released Dead Certain, George Bush had this to say about how things stand in Iraq:

"[Maliki's] learning to be a leader. And one of my jobs as the president and his ally is to help him be that leader without being patronizing. At some point in time, if I come to the conclusion that he can't be the leader—he's unwilling to lead or he's deceptive—then we'll change course. But I haven't come to that conclusion. As a matter of fact, his recent actions have inspired me."

If Bush loses confidence in Maliki, then Maliki goes. That's why I'm so furious about all the whining over the Iraqi Government's supposed incompetence and unwillingness to solve their own problems. While the elections that put Maliki into his office may not have been rigged, the resulting political situation in Iraq is depressingly similar to that of Iran: some political figureheads intended to make people feel like they have a voice in their own affairs while the real power resides in one powerful figure that works behind the scenes. As the Ayatollah rules Iran behind the public facade of Ahmanijedad, so Iraq is subject to the whims and desires of George W. Bush whose decisions are mediated through Maliki.

Disgusting, utterly disgusting.

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