“President Bush committed another misstep in a long line of strategic blunders in his disastrous Iraq policy when he told Prime Minister Maliki to ‘to ignore rumors that the United States government was seeking to impose a timeline on the Maliki government.’”

History may judge this to be the President’s most counterproductive statement since he told the insurgents to ‘bring it on.’ The President gave away the ultimate bargaining card, and instead suggested he will tolerate endless foot dragging by Iraqi politicians, and will outsource decisions about our massive troop presence to a government in Baghdad that refuses to get its act together.

President Bush also signaled he won’t accept the findings of James Baker’s Iraq Study Group if they call for anything more than failed stay the course policies. What does it tell us that Secretary Baker and Congressman Hamilton are signaling we need a change in strategy, along with Senator Warner and Senator Hagel, and yet President Bush signals he won’t accept anything but the arrogant, stubborn, stay the course policies that aren’t working?

This was a moment for President Bush to talk tough and honestly with Prime Minister Maliki, to say we’re not happy with what’s happening, and we can not and will not give a blank check to an Iraqi Prime Minister sustained in power by our forces, who will not speak against the Hezbollah terrorists, who will not take on the sectarian militias, who will not say that Israel has a right to exist, and who will not condemn the Iranian nuclear program. No American soldier should be asked to stand up for an Iraqi government that won't stand up for freedom and against fear.”