NYT: Bush Threatens to Replace Iraq's Democratically Elected PM

[Rose Siding]

From NYT's "The White House Scales Back Talk of Iraq Progress"

In public, Mr. Bush has remained enthusiastic about Mr. Maliki, with whom he talks over a secure video link every few weeks. But Mr. Bush was also publicly supportive of several of Mr. Maliki’s predecessors, even though White House officials now dismiss many of them as ill-suited for the job.

In January, Mr. Bush characterized Mr. Maliki as an architect of the troop increase plan, even while telling visiting Congressional leaders that “I said to Maliki this has to work or you’re out,” according to two officials who were in the room. Pressed on why he thought the new strategy would succeed where previous efforts had failed, Mr. Bush shot back, “Because it has to.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/28/washington/28prexy.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

A photo caption on the WH website reads:

Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki responds to a welcome from Vice President Dick Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and Congressional members before addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress, Wednesday, July 26, 2006, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Prime Minister Maliki, the first democratically elected prime minister of Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, is on his first visit to Washington and met with President Bush yesterday to discuss the future development and security of Iraq

See? He does have a Plan B!: Regime Change

[cooolandrew]

1. That's just laughable. A prime example of not know what democracy is. whoa.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. because it has to.

boy, that just sums up this president in a nut's shell, no?

[Chipper Chat]

3. Bush to Maliki: Kiss my ass or you're toast.

In that case I'm wondering just what all those purple fingers were about?

[Botany]

4. Oh my God ......

..... some points.

Changing leadership in Iraq now is like moving deck chairs on the Titanic

Maliki already dissed bush by making him wait 24 hrs before he met w/
him after bush flew to Jordan to see him. (Iraq was too dangerous)

Wasn't Maliki elected by the voters? bush is all but saying that election
was a joke.

[WinkyDink]

5. Good question for the next press conference, no?

[durtee librul]

7. Maybe this is *'s big announcement

today...that HE is going to Iraq to be president! :lol:

[peekaloo]

6. New Bu$h Democracy Award: The Purple Middle Finger of Fate.

Damn Iraqis don't know what they want so The Decider will give 'em what they need. :sarcasm:

[durtee librul]

8. You got a point there - -

since it's so safe there, maybe McCain is going to run for the next Pres job over there......special appointment by Bush to help McCain in the ratings.

Oh I could run with this one..........

[Botany]

9. So you give a majority Shi country the vote and they become a theocracy?

Wow nobody could have seen this coming.

bush has painted himself into a corner and is now mad @ the paint brush.

[BurtWorm]

10. No one around him has contradicted Bush boy's belief that he is Jesus the Lord God Almighty.

:grr: