"In that case, the memo suggests, it may ultimately be necessary for Mr. Maliki to recast his parliamentary bloc, a step the United States could support by pressing moderates to align themselves with the Iraqi leader and providing them with monetary support." NY Times
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"“Pushing Maliki to take these steps without augmenting his capabilities could force him to failure — if the Parliament removes him from office with a majority vote or if action against the Mahdi militia (JAM) causes elements of the Iraqi Security Forces to fracture and leads to major Shia disturbances in southern Iraq,” the memo says. ' NY Times
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Who leaked da memo? What was it really a "leak" or was it a "controlled press release?"
The first quotation above indicates a continuing belief in the government's ability to manipulate events and politics in Iraq. I suppose that it is inevitable that the "Hadley academical types" should imagine themselves to be operating at a level of skill and effectiveness comparable to the Americans who steered Western Europe through its period of political vulnerability to communism after World War Two or the Kermit Roosevelt types who "did in" Mossadegh in Iran. But, in fact, that was then, and this is now. the world has changed. The "wogs" are not so biddable as they were. Now the possibility has been announced to the world. The difficulty of doing something like this just increased dramatically.
"leads to major Shia disturbances in southern Iraq,” the memo says. '" Need I say more?
Pat Lang
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29military.html?_r=1&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all