Bush's July Surprise for Iraq

U.S. President George W. Bush poses with U.S. militray paratroopers undergoing training during a tour of Fort Benning, Georgia, January 11, 2007. Bush's visit comes a day after a live television address on his administration's U.S. military strategy and the situation in Iraq from the White House.

Brooks Kraft / Corbis for TIME

(2 of 2)

None of these machinations have much to do with the situation on the ground in Iraq. The political situation there has grown dire. There is a wicked little battle brewing between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his most powerful Shi'ite supporter, Muqtada al-Sadr. "In just a few months, al-Maliki has moved from 'You can't go after al-Sadr' to seeing [al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia] as a serious threat to his power," Ambassador Crocker told me in Baghdad a few weeks ago. Both al-Maliki and al-Sadr are plotting and scheming to oust each other. The Sadrist parliamentary bloc is planning to force a no-confidence vote on al-Maliki that could conceivably bring down the government. Given the amount of time it takes for the Iraqis to organize a ruling coalition--5 1/2 months last time--President Bush may find himself alone in Iraq, without a local ally, for the indefinite future.

time.com/swampland

Quotes of the Day »

President BARACK OBAMA, at NATO talks involving over 50 world leaders, describing the withdrawal of 130,000 combat troops from Afghanistan, planned for the end of 2014
For use in rail of Articles page or Section Fronts pages. Duplicate and change name as necesssary to distinguish.