Bush 'Not Satisfied' With Iraq Progress

President Tells Key Shiite Leader That More Needs To Be Done To Stop Sectarian Violence

(CBS/AP)  President Bush told a key Iraqi power broker on Monday that the United States was not satisfied with the progress of efforts to stop the sharp escalation of violence in Iraq.

Mr. Bush met at the White House with Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the Shiite leader of the largest bloc in Iraq's parliament. Al-Hakim said that he "vehemently" opposes any regional or international effort to solve Iraq's problems that goes around the unity government in Baghdad.

"Iraq should be in a position to solve Iraq's problems," al-Hakim said.

The president said he spoke with al-Hakim for more than an hour and said they had a "very constructive conversation."

"I assured him that the U.S. supports his work and the work of the prime minister to unify the country," Mr. Bush said, referring to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

But CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that it was an odd scene. Al-Hakim, whom the U.S. government's own intelligence sources have linked to death squads, was being praised by the U.S. president.

"Part of unifying Iraq is for the elected leaders and society leaders to reject the extremists that are trying to stop the advance of this young democracy," Mr. Bush said.

Al-Hakim told Mr. Bush that the situation in Iraq is not as bad as it seems. He said the picture presented by many media sources "is profoundly different from reality," Axelrod reports.

"We talked about the need to give the government Iraq more capability as soon as possible so the elected government of Iraq can do that which the Iraqi people want to secure their country from extremists and murderers," Mr. Bush said. "I told his eminence that I was proud of the courage of the Iraqi people. I told him that we're not satisfied with the pace of progress in Iraq. And that we want to continue to work with the sovereign government of Iraq."

Al-Hakim, after what he called a "very clear" meeting earlier with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, told reporters in Arabic that "we have asked for the American forces to stay in Iraq" to enable Iraqi security to deal with terrorists.

Mr. Bush spoke with al-Hakim directly about Iran and Syria and the critical need for them to respect Iraqi sovereignty and stop destructive activity that undermines Iraq's unity government, a senior administration official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to divulge details of the meeting.

The official said it wasn't known whether al-Hakim specifically asked President Bush to enlist Iran's assistance. Al-Hakim told reporters that he vehemently opposes any regional or international effort to solve Iraq's problems that goes around the unity government in Baghdad.

"We reject any attempts to have a regional or international role in solving the Iraqi issue," the cleric, who speaks Arabic, said through a translator. "We cannot bypass the political process. Iraq should be in a position to solve Iraqi problems."

Later, in a speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, al-Hakim said Iraq is interested in creating good relations with all neighboring nations, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Jordan.

But he said: "We do not want to distribute shares of power to neighboring countries, but rather we want balanced relations."

Al-Hakim said he talked with Mr. Bush about equipment, including armaments, that Iraqi security forces need. He pledged that the government would deal with all forms of terrorism, no matter where they originate.

He also said eliminating the danger of civil war in Iraq can be achieved only by decisive strikes against terrorist Baathists and extremist followers of Islam. "Otherwise we will continue to witness massacres being committed every now and then against the innocent Iraqis," he said.

Monday's developments came amid rising expectations about a new U.S. policy that Bush is crafting for Iraq — one that his advisers say will be announced within weeks. He is seeking information from reviews being done by the State Department, National Security Council and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as the Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana.

It became increasingly clear that the administration was looking for Iraq alternatives well before the November elections, when Bush was adamantly defending his policies.

A day before the elections, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld wrote a letter saying he had developed a list of alternative approaches for Iraq over a period of weeks. In his letter, obtained by The Associated Press on Monday, Rumsfeld said he and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had told the president "a number of weeks ago" that they were considering alternatives for Iraq policy because changes were needed.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin spoke exclusively with a former Rumsfeld ally turned harsh critic, who says Rumsfeld's letter was long overdue.

Rumsfeld also wrote that at his request, Gen. John Abizaid, the top commander for U.S. forces in the Middle East, had assembled a group to work on the issue.

[randalds]

The have no soul tibu987, that's how they sleep at night. They have no soul or heart. They can't have because no human being with one could murder so many innocent civilians in Iraq for no other reason then oil and ego. If they had a soul they sold it to the devil and if they really believe in a God, they're all going to hell.

[tibu987]

Goes this mean the Dubya was "satisfied" before the Nov. 7th elections?
First, Rumsfeld's memo that maybe they were wrong and tactics in Iraq should be changed. DUH.
So, the election loss for the Repubs has caused them to see the light.
Too bad so late after almost two thousand young Americans have been killed, many wounded and maimed, Iraqi women and children killed, the number of Iraqi's killed may be near two hundred thousand.
Wow, how can "W" and his henchmen/women sleep at night. Shame is not a strong enough emotion to put on them.
Sadam Hussein was a good guy compared to Bush and his mafia.
Enough, out now!

[frankly6]

Bushes legacy:

American loses war.

CIVIL WAR in Iraq and destabalization of the entire region.

Thousands of Amercians dead and tens of thousands more broken for life.

Hundred's of thousands of Iraqi dead.

Al Qaeda strenghend by thousands of new recruits and Osama free.

Exponential growth of terrorism world-wide.

Iran's rise to power and influence in the region.

Iran developes nuclear weapons and starts a nuclear arms race in the region.

Iran will control Southern Iraq and it's resources

Americans fall from power and influence in the region and throughout the world.

Massive, record deficit spending at home.

One trillion dollars in WAR DEBT borrowed from China.

Largest growth of the federal beurocracy in US history.

Incompetent liar.

Worst President in US history.

[diamtool]

Six years ago America was a rich, strong country, respected worldwide and admired in many places. Now we are begging obscure Imams for respect and admired almost nowhere. Russia and China are laughing at us. We are in the worst debt and deficits ever. Iran and North Korea are expanding their influence. We cut and run in Afghanistan, where we had a just and necessary war. We never captured the man at the root of the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden. Heckuva Job George. Mission Accomplished.
God Bless our Troops
God forgive George Bush

[mickeyjay31-2009]

Ah, Now, George Bush isn't satisfied with the war! Seems like just four weeks or so ago, he was saying "stay the course", "victory is ours", "remember The Alamo". This would be funny if it were not so freighting. America, we must survive two more years of this idiot. Choose very carefully those repersenting you and the areas in which you live. Make sure those people elected by "We the people" are listening to "We the people. The President has no idea how close he is to pushing the entire World over the edge. There is no time like the present and we must take charge.

[frankly6]

Bushes legacy in a nutshell:

CIVIL WAR in Iraq. Iran's rise to power and influence in the region. Massive record deficit spending. Incompetent liar. Worst President in US history.

[frankly6]

Bushes legacy in a nutshell:

CIVIL WAR in Iraq. Iran's rise to power and influence in the region. Massive record deficit spending. Incompetent liar. Worst President in US history.

[grumpas]

Let's face it here, Bush has the IQ of a toadstool!!!!! This war on terror of his is a joke, a pretty cruel and costly one at that! It's done literally nothing for terrorism but to strenghten them! Give them more incentive to fight the Christian hordes invading them! We have no one to blame but ourselves for this mess! A lot of us knew it was a mistake before he ever started it! I remember getting into fights with girls I used to work with trying to convince them he was lying about Saddam and Iraq! But, there was no convincing them or the American people! What he was saying was never backed up by any cold hard facts then! He was literally the only one who saw Iraq as a threat! Why do you think we had to go this alone, because everyone was smarter than Britian! If people would have used their brains instead of their desire for vengence we wouldn't even be there! The time to stop a war is before it ever starts! I hope people remember this when it comes to any war with Iran or North Korea! I am like the guy here who said Bush is never going to get out of Iraq! He has delusions of grandeur when it comes to them! A mentally ill person doesn't give up on those delusions easily!So, he isn't going to ever leave!

[phil-in-fin]

I really wonder how degrading it must be, to be a key leader in Iraq, in any country for that matter, and have to sit down and talk with George W. Bush, knowing full well that he is an intellectual fly-weight.

It must be quite demeaning.

On the other hand, it might be fun, to sit down with George W. Bush, to talk about things, and watch him make a complete a** of himself.

Look at the smile on Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's face while he and Bush are shaking hands. I am sure that he is not taking this meeting as seriously as George W. Bush.

[bluestardad]

America is not happy with Bush. He should be in Jail!

[firststate]

Bush 'Not Satisfied' With Iraq Progress, Duh? The only progress there lately has been the steady progress toward civil war.

Did al-Hakim use a sanitizing wipe after shaking hands with the evil demon? That would have been a picture to get.

By not as bad as it seems, al-Hakim meant that the situation with all the civilian deaths is not as bad as it seems because most of those killed are Shi'ites, no problem.

[ceres5]

The article says that"Al-Hakim told Mr. Bush that the situation in Iraq is not as bad as it seems." One hundred people are murdered in Iraq each day, and the situation is not as bad as it seems? This meeting reminds me of those ones when Idi Amin was in power.

[firststate]

ourtomorrows
It is abundantly clear that a number of pious, pompous, pretentious would-be intellectuals still buy into the Bush BS. Why do you deign to post here, in the company of the masses, or do the strength and purity of your ideas appear without any overt action?

It%u2019s amazing that so many people are still as firmly in denial as their leader. Even clueless leader can%u2019t really buy into it but he%u2019s too cowardly to admit it. If Bush did all this because his Christian Extremist buds told him it would bring about Christ%u2019s return, no wonder he looks dejected. Oops. He%u2019d be easier to pity if he had less blood on his hands. Did these religious extremists convince him to lead a terrorist attack of his own?

I think the likely results in Iraq include the militias having all their members trained and armed by the US. Then, if they feel generous, they will tell us to get the hell out of their country, if less generous they will simply attack our troops at will, instead of their current restraint. Either way, the next major effort is may be the first televised genocide, guest starring the Shi%u2019ites, whom al-Malik is already blaming for the problems, as losers. With photography good enough we may be able to identify some of the thousands of missing weapons being put to use. When all the Shi%u2019ites are dead or have fled, the Sunnis will visit the Kurds. All this, with only Dumbaya to thank.

[grazinggoat]

bushrots1: castrated was meant there.

[grazinggoat]

bushrocks1: One tend to think U R a castrate. U R talking of a son U don't have, everyone here bets. Like Walking-Liar Bush, he has no sons to send to war. U must only have daughters, if at all. So If that is the case, U are just a frustrated castrate dissipating your frustration over this blog and disturbing the heck out of us... Just to mention U, Most of us here can understand fromt he first time, not like U, who need to repeat and repeat to make sure U understand, Moron! Or maybe U R Bush himself...

[arthurcl1]

I agree with mh4cbs1 as Bush is only doing this talking now because he lost the House and Senate. He should have been doing this diplomacy 4 years ago! More Body Bags for Bush instead 4 years later! He wanted to go it alone in Irag! No weapons of mass destruction found. A big Lie to the American People just for his Oil Buddys to be able to mine for more oil. No reconstruction going on for the people and civil war raging! Another Vietnam where Bush, Rumsfield, and Cheney have us. "Stay the Course, We will be Victorious". It's getting old fast for them to keep saying that.

[jn122736]

ketch65:

it sonds like you believe in a conrolling, devine, power. Is it out of fear you will be punished if you don't believe or that you will be rewarded if you do? It generally is one or both. Just curious. Good night

[mh4cbs1]

You are so foolish to think that Bush has suddenly gotten wise!

He could no longer hide behind his tough-guy hubris, saying all is well and "stay the course", accusing Democarts of having "no stomach for War".

The game is over for Bush. The Emperor has no clothes. He was on the verge of total and complete ridicule. So now he has to pretend to be listening to others (after 4 years of a needless, horrific War of Terror based on Lies).

But get real! Bush/Cheney are NEVER leaving Iraq without permanent bases, access to the Oil, and a friendly regime in power (a Democracy is always a good for PR, but it is hardly a factor). It doesn't matter it it costs a Trillion ($1,000,000,000,000) dollars (we are almost half-way there). Ot doesn't matter how many middle-class kids half to die fighting for their new world order. And it certainly doesn't matter how many hundreds of thousands of Iraqis die.

You still don't get it?! Bush/Cheney will NEVER leave Iraq.

[lucasnico]

ourtomorrows.......get a clue....Bush CREATED the situation in Iraq. The only reason he is talking about it now and shifting is because his party is not in power anymore...makes it a little mroe difficult to continue to bully his way through every decision. Even republicans aren't claiming this fool.

[agnim]

Italy Pulls Out Final Troops From Iraq
Italy has pulled out its last troops from Iraq - weeks ahead of schedule. At one point Italy had 3,000 troops in Iraq and was Washington's second largest coalition partner, after Britain.