There's a good chance we won't have to force the Bush regime to withdraw from Iraq--it looks likely the Maliki government will be falling soon--so much for what all parties agree was the actual goal of the "surge". "National reconciliation" is DOA.   And there's no way the US public will stand for meekly signing up to support whoever the Iraqis come up with next.

All Bush's eggs are in Maliki's basket. And he knows it.

And so much for McCain's chances in the fall.

If this happens there is no way anybody will be able to justify anything remotely close to the troop deployments we now have in Iraq. The vast majority of the troops will come home.


12 Feb: AP: The speaker of "Iraq's fragmented parliament threatened Tuesday to disband the legislature, saying it is so riddled with distrust it appears unable to adopt the budget or agree on a law setting a date for provincial elections."

"Disbanding parliament would prompt new elections within 60 days and further undermine" Maliki's "shaky government, which is limping along with nearly half of the 40 Cabinet posts vacant."