The Right Guy For Iraq

After their much bally-hooed meeting in Amman, President Bush was full of praise for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq. He called al-Maliki the "right guy for Iraq."

Though he may have meant, the "right now" guy for Iraq.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will meet with one of Iraq's most powerful Shiite politicians on Monday in a continued bid to find a new approach to ending sectarian violence that is pulling at the seams of the nation. Then, in January, the president will meet with the Sunni vice president of Iraq, a senior administration official said Friday.

On Monday, Bush will meet with Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the United Iraqi Alliance - the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

Mr. Bush apparently has such confidence in al-Maliki and his abilities that he wants to meet independently with other factions in the government. Gee, that announcement won't undermine al-Maliki's status at all, huh? This announcement is a quite a reward for al-Maliki's having angered supporters by actually going to Amman to meet with W in the first place.

George is real good at making friends overseas, huh?