Bush Airs Doubts On Iraqi Government

President Questions Whether Iraqi Prime Minister Has Power To Stop Bloodshed

(CBS/AP)  President Bush said Tuesday the unruly execution of Saddam Hussein "looked like it was kind of a revenge killing," making it harder to persuade a skeptical U.S. public that Iraq's government will keep promises central to Bush's plan for a troop increase.

The jury is out if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has the capacity to stop the bloodshed in Iraq, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.

"No question there's a headwind," Mr. Bush told PBS' Jim Lehrer. "There's a lot of skepticism in Washington, D.C. There's skepticism about whether or not there's enough troops or whether we should be putting in any troops and there's skepticism whether the Maliki government will make the tough decisions necessary to succeed."

Inside the White House, they feel they've done everything they can to get al-Maliki on board with what is likely Mr. Bush's last, best plan, reports Axelrod. But there are still doubts that al-Maliki can get it done.

Mr. Bush criticized the circumstances of Saddam's hanging last month, as well as Monday's execution of two top aides, including Saddam's half brother.

"I was disappointed and felt like they fumbled the — particularly the Saddam Hussein execution," the president told Lehrer.

A cell phone video of Saddam's Dec. 30 hanging showed the deposed Iraqi leader being taunted as he stood on the gallows with a noose around his neck. An official video of the execution of Saddam's half brother showed that the hangman's noose decapitated him. Both hangings provoked outrage around the world, but particularly among Saddam's fellow Sunnis in Iraq.

Mr. Bush said he had expressed his displeasure about the way Saddam's execution was handled to al-Maliki. The president announced what he called a new strategy for the war last week, with much of it hinging on his trust in al-Maliki's government to make radical changes.

"It basically says to people, 'Look, you conducted a trial and gave Saddam justice that he didn't give to others. But then, when it came to execute him, it looked like it was kind of a revenge killing,"' the president said.

"It makes it harder for me to make the case to the American people that this is a government that does want to unify the country and move forward," Mr. Bush said. "And it just goes to show that this is a government that has still got some maturation to do."

Mr. Bush agreed to the interview, telecast Tuesday evening on PBS' "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," as well as one last weekend on CBS' 60 Minutes to help sell his revised war plan to the public.

Polls show that Americans are overwhelmingly unhappy with Mr. Bush's Iraq policy. Seventy percent oppose sending more troops to Iraq, as he intends to do, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll last week

Mr. Bush said if a pollster asked for his opinion about Iraq, "I would be one of those that said, 'No, I don't approve of what's taking place in Iraq."'

He said that keeping his old policies in place in the war would lead to "a slow failure," but withdrawing from Iraq, as some critics suggest, would result in an "expedited failure."

"I am frustrated with the progress," the president said. "A year ago, I felt pretty good about the situation. I felt like we were achieving our objective, which is a country that can govern, sustain, and defend itself. No question, 2006 was a lousy year for Iraq."

Senate Democrats plan by Thursday to introduce a resolution denouncing the president's plan, with floor debate to begin next week — around the time Bush delivers his State of the Union speech on Jan. 23.

The bill, by not eliminating funding for either current troops or the additions, would be merely an expression of Congress' position. But it would help Democrats gauge Republican support for more aggressive legislative tactics, as well as embarrass Mr. Bush.

On Tuesday, Democrats were reaching out to potential Republican co-sponsors. Several GOP senators have spoken out against sending more troops.

"The hope is to introduce a bill that would be a bipartisan resolution," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

House Democrats say they will wait for the Senate to debate the resolution before taking up their own. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Tuesday he anticipates the Senate will have a "significant bipartisan vote" that will help set the tone for the House debate.

White House press secretary Tony Snow suggested that Congress' Democratic leaders think through the ramifications of any vote.

"In an age of instant and global communication, what message does it send to the people who are fighting democracy in Iraq, and also what message does it send to the troops?" he said. "But, you know, the House and Senate are going to do whatever they do. What the president is determined to do is continue moving forward in a way that creates conditions for success in Iraq."

As the president pressed the case for his troop additions, there were ugly reminders from Iraq of the tough job ahead.

More than 100 people died in several attacks on predominantly Shiite areas, including an explosion outside a Baghdad university that killed at least 65 people and a blast at a marketplace for used motorcycles. The United Nations, meanwhile, said more than 34,000 Iraqi civilians died last year in sectarian violence.

[j-whitman]

Bush doesn't know what he's doing - An Honorable Man Would Resign

[j-whitman]

iboy,,, A war with Iran with our troops already streached beyond their limits, What's that tell you ??

[iboy29]

"His militia has infiltrated the Iraqi Army, police, government and general populace. So there is nobody you can trust." I have just one thing to point here, Paul Bremer was ordered by Bush to do a Debaathification of the Iraqi Army, police and security forces. This dismantled the whole security machinery of that country. The force that you are talking about does not exist in the first place. How can you expect Al-Maliki to conjure up a security force out of the blue to take care of the bloodshed on the streets? This is just a blame game to put the fault on Al-Maliki, Sadr and Iran.

I was watching on MSNBC news that Bush ordered the US army recently to kidnap some Iranian officials from Iraq (surprisingly there is little or no coverage of that in the western media). This was fodder for Iran to jump and do a mistake. Now that reminds me of the Israel Lebanon war which was triggered by the kidnapping of one Israeli soldier??? What is Bush upto??? Start a war with Iran and make sure Republicans come back in 2008???

[j-whitman]

"Bbbbbut, we gave them elections, we gave them liberaton, & freedom we're winning -- I want my parade" GW Bush

An Honorable Man Would Resign

[rharrin1]

getserious1

Go wax your sword.

[grazinggoat]

getserious1,
Are you serious?
why don't you graze some green grass with me and forget about you being serious, you look more like a clown. Got it?...

[grazinggoat]

Here we go again, Maliki is set to move out. He packed his panties, shirts, socks, toothbrush(but he forgot his razor, no wonder his Ali-Baba look). He has a flight ticket ready for Tehran...

His only hope is to see Walking-Liar impeached before him being kicked out.

[getserious1]

Libs were always the players in games that quit because they were losing....keep it up losers. Why don't you try to come up with some 'winning' ideas instead of just quiting??
Also, I think some of you should look up the word:
SLANDER

You sure seem full of it. You too you right winged nutcases.
Doesn't matter at this point as to WHY we went to war with Iraq, what is needed here is a victory and you libs are doing nothing but to promote losing and quiting. You can't see a victory through your prejudices....you are as pathetic as your portrait of Bush.

[randalds]

Looks to me like al-Maliki is not dancing to the tune Cheney (and yes Bush too...though his opinion on it means nothing to the boss) wants him to. Can you say "coup" boys and girls. I guess we finally found out the real reason the Bush administration is send 21,000 new troops there. To secure Baghdad after Bush orders their "democratically elected" government taken down. This smells like Saigon in 1963. I wonder if the CIA will let al-Maliki live or just have him killed like they did with Ngo Dinh Diem? And it worked SOOOOOOOOO good then too! Right? Just like it'll work this time.

[dallison7]

Please go to www.impeachbush.org

[randalds]

"White House press secretary Tony Snow suggested that Congress' Democratic leaders think through the ramifications of any vote.

"In an age of instant and global communication, what message does it send to the people who are fighting democracy in Iraq, and also what message does it send to the troops?" he said."

It sends the message, the proper one, that we support our troops best by pulling them out of the meat-grinder Bush has created in Iraq. That's message it sends Charlie Brown.

[lochlan-2009]

bluestardad; You are completely right. We voted for representation that would stop the corruption. Bush, Cheney and Administration are war criminals, start an inquiry immediatly. We elected you guys for a reason, if you can't perform you too can be replaced.

[exusmcsgt]

grumpas-

Bubba dubya knew d a m n well that WMD was a false pretext (see Downing Street Memo). He got caught with his pants down and now it's all about avoiding the legacy of a complete moron.

[grumpas]

That's what Dubya wanted! That's what he no doubt personally ordered! So what is he whining and belly-aching about?????? Maybe he suddenly realized just how barbaric it made him look! I doubt very seriously he has woke up to the fact he started the whole mess with lie's! His type never does! It's always someone elses fault! No doubt before it's all over he will blame Clinton!

[exusmcsgt]

Bubba Dubya, just two weeks ago, declared that after speaking with al-Maliki he believed the Iraqi government had the resolve to make his "surge" plan work and used it as part of the plan's justification.

Now this: "...and there's skepticism whether the Maliki government will make the tough decisions necessary to succeed."

Can you believe this guy? Absolutely incredible!

[grazinggoat]

Hilary is another pro-war. She is too much influenced by war-military industry. She played too long in the Israeli-backing sand box. She is deprived of any new way of thinking (pacifistic-humanistic-ecological), Americans are looking forward to see their politicians. She may still have some good diplomatic tools, but she is from the old cold-war influenced generation.

As a female, I'd like to see her access the presidency, but the fresh air we need is not there. It may look fresh, but it's not. It's just recycled.

[observantx]

So, King George is %u201Cfrustrated%u201D. Well, this is simply awful. This will not stand. Just you wait.

It reminds me of a story that once a staffer once complained about a South American dictator who was less than gracious to his countrymen. The staffer pointed out to Johnson that the dictator was %u201C%u2026a son of a b*tch.%u201D To which Johnson is said to have replied. %u201CI know he%u2019s a son of a b*tch! But he%u2019s OUR son of a b*tch!%u201D

That%u2019s what our naked emperor wants al-Maliki to be but al-Maliki is not his. He is al-Sadr%u2019s son of a b*tch.

I guess there are plenty of them around today. We have our own sons of b*tches in Our White House and they need to be out of there and in jail.

[bluestardad]

wherethehell are the democrats we elected and what are they doing to stop this mad man?

[observantx]

It appears that Deluded Leader has his undies in a bunch over Al-Maliki%u2019s performance which has been nonexistent. Well, DUH, let%u2019s think about why Al-Maliki has done next to nothing.

Al Maliki is the frontman, the pawn of Muqtada al-Sadr, who occupies the center of the web in Sadr City. He is driving as many Sunnis out of Iraq through the predations of his militia, who kidnap, torture and execute at will. Al-Sadr in turn is taking his cues from across the border in Iran. His militia has infiltrated the Iraqi Army, police, government and general populace. So there is nobody you can trust.

Deluded Leader and the PNAC plotters put the match to the simmering sectarian hatred and set it blossoming into the conflagration we see in the Iraqi streets. 100 Iraqis, 70 of them college students were shredded by explosives yesterday along with four of our soldiers. The criminals in Our White House have set this slaughter in motion with their lust for empire and oil. Hypnotized and aroused by the vision of money bubbling out of the ground, they falsified intelligence, lied, spun, distorted, ignored the inconvenient facts, and threw our sons and daughters into a meatgrinder in pursuit of power and wealth.

Now they want more fodder for their failed campaign. We need more than symbolic votes against this falseness and stupidity. We need the money spigot turned off and these men punished and jailed. Nothing else will come close to repairing this country and our reputation.

Wow - after 6 years asleep it finally looks as though GW Bush has woken up.

How long until he goes back to sleep again?