Intelligence officials have doubts about Iraqi leader

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

There seems to be a lot of dissent surfacing about Maliki.

Quote:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. intelligence community doubts Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is able to lead Iraq, according to administration officials who have seen the revised National Intelligence Estimate.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's leadership comes under fire in a U.S. intelligence assessment, officials say.

The report concludes that al-Maliki may not have the ability or capacity to "push forward" legislative reforms, according to one of the officials.

The official said there would be few, if any, surprises in the NIE.

The intelligence community is scheduled to brief reporters on the report's declassified findings Thursday. Sources said they were unsure if the details they provided to CNN would appear in the unclassified version of the NIE.

The briefing comes a day after President Bush defended al-Maliki in a speech in Kansas City, Missouri.

"Prime Minister al-Maliki's a good guy -- good man with a difficult job and I support him," Bush said. "And it's not up to the politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether he will remain in his position."

Bush also made comparisons between "how we left" the Vietnam War and what might happen if the United States were to pull out of Iraq.

The report also addresses security in Iraq, particularly in Anbar province where some Sunni leaders have turned against al Qaeda in Iraq, said a second official who has been briefed on the NIE but hasn't read it.

Bush was briefed Monday on a classified version of the NIE, which was sent to Congress this week. Next month, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, are scheduled to deliver a report to Congress.

Source

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

Once again, we here were ahead of the curve, we have been saying the same basic thing for over a year, both here and on other forums. Where's our check?

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

They are sure dragging their feet in hopes Maliki can somehow pull a rabbit out of his hat. I doubt he can recover myself. I'm sure opposition groups already smell blood.

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

The pres of the interim government, Allawi, smells power, he has hired a high price lobbyist to handle his case in Washington.