Maliki to Bush: Shiite militias are not a big problem

President Bush is not the only one in a state of denial.  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki doesn't seem to regard the Shiite militias, such as the one led by Moqtada al-Sadr, as a serious threat.  Time Magazine's Aparism Ghosh, who is stationed in Baghdad, gave the two men a reality check:

In truth, the Prime Minister has done little to bridge the sectariangap; if anything, he has occasionally contributed to widening thechasm. Many in Baghdad also found some unintended black humor in Bush'sdescription of al-Maliki as "a strong leader." After all, just theprevious day, a leaked memo from National Security Adviser StephenHadley had revealed how the Administration really views al-Maliki: asan isolated figure in the green zone with little demonstrable abilityto affect the course of events outside.

Al-Maliki's aides, in turn, leaked to reporters that the Iraqi PrimeMinister told President Bush that dealing with the Shi'ite militiaswould not be a "big problem." In reality, al-Maliki has been totallypowerless against the militias, especially since they are loyal to hisown political allies. So it was hard to believe Bush was being sincerewhen he declared he was "reassured by the Prime Minister's commitmentto a ... a society in which people are held into account who break thelaw — whether these people will be criminals al-Qaeda, militia,whoever."

...In short, the Amman summit did little to persuade Iraqis that things are about to get better anytime soon.

When people laugh at the notion that their own Prime Minister is a "strong leader," there is a good chance that no one will ever take him seriously again.  A lack of sincerity can sometimes do more to inflame the situation.  President Bush managed to do just that during his trip to Jordan.  What an embarrassment.