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JIM CLANCY: Hello,
everyone, and welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY.
There has been a veritable verbal surge in the war of
words between Washington and Baghdad this week. U.S.
President George W. Bush has said he's frustrated at
the apparent inability of Iraqi leaders to overcome
even their minor political and sectarian differences,
much less the major ones.
He toned down his criticism in a speech that we heard
just barely an hour ago, saying the Iraqi prime
minister is, in his words, a good guy. But Iraq's
prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, in Syria, fired back,
saying no one has the right to dictate timetables to
a government that was elected by its own people.
Let's bring in Michael Ware from Baghdad to talk
about the growing rift between U.S. and Iraqi
leaders.
Michael, you look at this and you say, well, what's
the real problem here? Isn't the real problem that
the militias are in charge of Iraq and Iran seems to
have greater control over those militias?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's
completely right, Jim. I mean, essentially, there's
been much criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki. He's being blamed by many in Washington
for failing to deliver on much of the key agreements
and political reconciliation that needs to be
achieved here.
But honestly, it's stunning that people could do
that. I mean, you need to bear in mind, Prime
Minister Maliki has virtually no power over his own
government. Of his 37 cabinet members, 17 are either
boycotting his government or simply fail to attend
cabinet meetings. He can't supply regular
electricity, and sometimes he can't even get running
water in his own capital.
The currency of political power within this
government is the strength of your militia, most
likely Iranian-backed. Maliki does not have a
militia; therefore, he has no real authority.
So, America cannot expect him to deliver.
CLANCY: Here's the basic question that's got to be on
the minds of U.S. military commanders, as well as the
White House. And that is, if Maliki isn't in charge,
who is, really?
WARE: Well, really, it's a loose alliance of militia
power blocs. And obviously, their power brokers, most
of whom, if not all of whom, according to U.S.
intelligence, have links to Iran, are supported by
Iranian intelligence, or the Revolution Guards Corps.
Bottom line, Iran has more influence with this
government than America can probably ever hope to
have. Now, this is prompting some generals, field
commanders here, to say, well, maybe we are not going
about this the right way. Maybe democratic
institutions are not the way ahead.
They've certainly, for the first time ever, openly
said democracy may actually just be an option for
Iraq. Iraqis may choose something else. And the U.S.
mission here says we are no longer pursuing the same
lofty and ambitious democratic objectives we once
were.
So, there's a lot of people saying, have we gone
about this the wrong way and do we need to take a new
track?
CLANCY: All right.
Michael Ware reporting from the ground in Baghdad.
As always, Michael, thank you -- Hala.