WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2007
U.S.: Iraq Leaders "Unable To Govern"
Intel Report Finds Al-Maliki Government Shaky, Iraqi Security Forces Still In Need Of Help
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Play CBS Video Video Fate Of Iraq In The Balance The National Intelligence Estimate says there's been military progress in Iraq, but that political leaders still can't govern effectively. Bob Orr reports.
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Video Warner Calls For Withdrawal The leading Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee is calling for troops to start coming home from Iraq. Bob Schieffer tells Katie Couric that when Sen. Warner talks, Republicans listen.
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Video Pressure For Progress In Iraq On a day when 14 Americans died in a helicopter crash in Iraq, both President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki are under growing pressure to show results in Iraq. Susan Roberts reports.
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A new intelligence assessment expresses deep doubts that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can overcome sectarian divisions and meet benchmarks intended to promote political unity. (AP)
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
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Timeline Iraq Copter Crashes Some of the deadliest helicopter crashes in Iraq and Kuwait since the start of the war.
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Interactive American Heroes Profiles of U.S. soldiers who've died in Iraq, a look at the war's toll and pictures of mourning.
Despite some uneven improvements, the analysts concluded that the level of overall violence is high, Iraq's sectarian groups remain unreconciled, and al Qaeda in Iraq is still able to conduct highly visible attacks.
"Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively," the 10-page document, a declassified summary of a more detailed National Intelligence Estimate, concludes.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., just back from Iraq, said U.S. soldiers are now fighting for a failing government, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.
"I really firmly believe that the Iraqi government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Maliki, have let our troops down," says Warner, former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The report represents the collaborative judgments of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organization of each military service. It comes at a time of renewed tensions between Washington and Baghdad, and as the Bush administration prepares a mid-September report on how its troop buildup in Iraq is working.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the report confirms what most Americans already know: "Our troops are mired in an Iraqi civil war and the president's escalation strategy has failed to produce the political results he promised to our troops and the American people."National Intelligence Estimate on Irag Stability
"Every day that we continue to stick to the president's flawed strategy is a day that America is not as secure as it could be," said Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
The estimate says that Iraqi Security Forces, working alongside the United States, have performed "adequately." However, it says they haven't shown enough improvement to conduct operations without U.S. and coalition forces and are still reliant on others for key support.
"All of Iraq's political leaders are more interested in advancing their narrow sectarian or party interests than in the national interest," Bruce Riedel of The Brookings Institution told Orr.
The intelligence report notes some military successes, reports Orr. Regional Sunni leaders are turning against al Qaeda. The number of attacks is down.
The White House seized on the good news.
"The National Intelligence Estimates updated judgments show that our strategy has improved the security environment in Iraq but that we still face very tough challenges ahead, says Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
But experts warn that as the Maliki government struggles, Iraqis are beginning to lose faith. And there are militant factions just waiting for America's withdrawal, reports Orr.
The findings could provide support for the Bush administration's argument that coalition forces need to stay in Iraq in order to avoid letting security lapse, should they withdraw from certain areas.
The report predicts that the Iraqi government "will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months" because of criticism from members of Iraqi Shiite parties, Iraq's top Shiite religious figure Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and Sunni and Kurdish factions.
The assessment also expresses deep doubts that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can overcome sectarian divisions and meet benchmarks intended to promote political unity. It finds that Shiite factions have looked at ways to constrain him.
"The strains of the security situation and absence of key leaders have stalled internal political debates, slowed national decision-making, and increased Maliki's vulnerability to alternative coalitions," the document says.
But the assessment says al-Maliki will continue to benefit from the belief among Shiite leaders that "searching for a replacement could paralyze the government."
CBS News correspondent Tara Mergener reports tension is growing between President Bush and the prime minister after Mr. Bush appeared to back away from al-Maliki earlier this week when he said: "Clearly, the Iraqi government's got to do more."
But Mr. Bush voiced encouragement for al-Maliki a day later, and an administration official said Thursday that, despite the assessment of the limitations of the current government, there is no talk at the White House of a need for change in the Iraqi leadership.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 162 CommentsI would comment more but you guys said it all and if it is worth anything I couldn''t have said it better. I totally agree. How long will it take the congress to bring this up you think? Do you hear filibuster anyone.
See informationclearinghouse for John Pilger''''s excellent google film on Mordor''''s fun and games in Banana Land.
Posted by Prinzowhales at 08:45 AM : Aug 24, 2007
Me Thinks You ARE Right, one day he warning him the next day he is a good guy.
There appears to be a learning curve among the War Pigs--at least on matters of personal survival. In Venezuela, War Pig Ari Fleischer and the other jackals feeding round and ''bout the Queen''s throne, yipped and yapped in glee too soon when the Carracas elites and officers seized power in a coup, and when evidence of Washington inivolvement and support surfaced, Mordor''s media eye quickly turned elsewhere. Now, they protest their love of Maliki...''methinks they protest too much...''
See informationclearinghouse for John Pilger''s excellent google film on Mordor''s fun and games in Banana Land.
how ironic, this headline has a familiar ring..
American voters Nov 2006~~
U.S.: GOP Leaders ''Unable To Govern''
Maliki is not delivering on the handover of Iraqi oil. Therefore Maliki must be replaced by a new puppet. It matters not that the Iraqis won''t like the new one either. Since constant termoil justifies permanent occupation of Iraq by the US, constant turmoil is desired and will be produced. That way those permanent bases that Bushit has built, the huge US Embassy compound that will be the real center of power in Iraq, and all those private soldiers working for Blackwater, won''t become useless all of a sudden.
Imbecile Democrats!
Posted by gslinger3 at 07:33 AM : Aug 24, 2007
You poor simple minded fascist! It''s always someone''s fault when you Hate and Divide Fascist fail isn''t it? You''re no more American than your fuhrer and that''s why you fail. When you spew hatred and bitterness at your neighbor for no other reason than they point out the failures of your policy and your inability to govern, you accomplish nothing. The power of this nation is NOT in a bigger bomb or faster jet, it''s in our PEOPLE. When leaders win by using garbage like Swift Boat Ad''s, they can not nor will not ever be able to tap that power. Sieg Heil Bush!!
Posted by NavyRetired2 at 08:00 AM : Aug 24, 2007
You''re absolutely correct, NR2. Our framers of the Constitution never envisioned there being "professional politicians" or they would have surely incorporated measures preventing such.
In their day, a citizen would leave his business, farm, or whatever to represent his constituents and then return to his former life.
I think we should elect our Senators and Presidents for one six-year term, Representatives for one four-year term and then send them home.
U.S. government employment needs to be cut, probably in half, and we need REAL oversight in place. Not the oversight that sights over every problem, but actually points out corruption and acts against it.
Your dems and repubs waste more money every year than the Iraq war costs (including the SGLI insurance payouts for our fallen brothers and sisters).
Has the word "accountability" been removed from Webster''s yet? Or has Bush not signed that Executive Order yet?
More Iraqis said to flee since troop rise
International Herald Tribune
BAGHDAD: The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes has soared since the American troop increase began in February, according to data from two humanitarian groups, accelerating the partition of the country into sectarian enclaves.
Despite some evidence that the troop buildup has improved security in certain areas, sectarian violence continues and American-led operations have brought new fighting, driving fearful Iraqis from their homes at much higher rates than before the tens of thousands of additional troops arrived, the studies show.
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Considering that Dubya''s policies foster terrorism (according to our own 16 intelligence agencies) rather than diminish it, and that his "surge" is actually accelerating the partioning of Iraq, anyone with a scintilla of common sense would have to ask "just who''s side is he on anyway"?
This administration has squandered our future.
Regards,
Posted by Nancy_Naive at 06:43 PM : Aug 23, 2007"
In fairness to the current administration, this problem has been worsening LONG before he and his fellow Romper Roomers took office.
Corrupt politicians have been funnelling money directly away from needed improvements for decades.
Bush has made US policy the laughing stock of the world. His ignorance has fueled enormous hate for our country across nations.
Imbecile Democrats!
Posted by gslinger3 at 07:33 AM : Aug 24, 2007
Interesting that you use the term "imbecile" to describe Democrats.
Merriam-Webster defins "imbecile" as: weak-minded.
I soppose you consider the formulation of a foreign policy that has wasted hundreds of billions of American dollars and thousands of American lives and has resulted in record heroin production, millions of refugees, hundreds of thousands of innocent casualties and earned us the disdain of the entire planet to be "brilliant" somehow......
Gibe me a break.
Imbecile Democrats!
There are two drivers behind Dubya''s insanity.
First and foremost is a desperate hope that he can somehow avoid the legacy of being a complete moron and the other being an equally desperate hope that neoconism can avoid becoming the fringe movement that it so richly deserves.
more like this half-azz, worst foreign policy in american history has finally been sealed and stamped : marked F A I L E D
so it blame time again - who better then the iraqis themselves?
reality is we control nobody, give orders to deaf ears, and this mess of bush & co. is just that; the worst president in the history of the US !!
There are those of us who knew and said this before this madness started, but we were shouted down by the warmongers.
Bring our children home.
Posted by BareEmperor at 12:48 AM : Aug 24, 2007
You beat me to that one
Would love to hear a one-hour live televised interview Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki UN muzzled before the interview Nouri al-Maliki is told, Bush is in handcuffs.
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