Bush’s Surprise Visit to Baghdad Undermines Prime Minister Maliki

The world thought President Bush was spending two days up at Camp David with his closest advisors to review the situation in Iraq, as mature and responsible a policy move as he could make. Instead, he took off for Baghdad halfway through to visit Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, who had five minutes’ warning that his boss was coming. In a single day, Mr. Bush destroyed the credibility of the new Iraqi government by making it look like an American tool.

Mr. Bush said to the very surprised PM, “I’ve come to not only look you in the eye, I’ve also come to tell you that when America gives its word, it keeps its word.” Looking people in the eye is a big deal in west Texas (like most Texan things, it’s all hat and no cattle), and Mr. Bush has done this before. He looked into President Vladimir “KGB” Putin’s eyes and saw the man’s soul – which suggests that the American president has extremely good vision indeed. One would think by now that Mr. Bush would quit looking in the eyes of others and worry about the plank in his own.

It is hard to imagine a more foolish move that turning up in Baghdad to shake hands with the new Iraqi Prime Minister. After three years, Iraq finally had a government elected by Iraqi universal adult suffrage, under a constitution drafted by elected Iraqis and then ratified by referendum. From top to bottom, it had the imprint of Iraqi-ness. With a single photo-op, Mr. Bush reminded the world who put Mr. Maliki in his present job and who decides whether he gets to stay there. “Democrat” in the Arab world is rapidly coming to mean “collaborator.”

This tone-deaf move stems from a single misperception in the White House. The Busheviks believe that Mr. Bush is as well liked abroad as he is in his own Cabinet Room. That just ain’t so. He has a reputation as the embodiment of the very worst of the American national character, and indeed, his policies have underscored most of the stereotypes of Americans save girth – Mr. Bush is mercifully not 350 pounds of Texas bull. Being Mr. Bush’s friend these days is the kiss of death politically. Ask soon-to-be former Prime Minister Blair, former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar and ex-Prime Minister Berlusconi of Italy. There is nothing wrong with working hand-in-glove with the White House, but to be seen doing so is not healthy.

Al Qaeda in Iraq suffered a significant blow with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi last week, and Mr. Bush should have held his little video conference and then cleared some brush by the Aspen cabin at Camp David. The 11-hour flight to Baghdad should have been spent on developing policy, or sleeping. Someone in the administration should have spoken up and said, “Chief, we need you here, and so does Iraq.” Instead, Prime Minister Maliki is now seen as part of the Bush administration by the very people who need to believe in his independence. Hearts and minds were lost.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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