THE MAIN EVENT. Today's meeting between President Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki in sunny, safe Amman is not likely to solve Iraq's problems. If the text of Stephen Hadley's leaked memo is any guide, the purpose is to confirm that al-Maliki is still our guy despite his inability to control the sectarian violence that is often perpetrated by factions within his governing coalition. The Post says Bush is likely to press al-Maliki to take on the Mookster, whom Newsweek is now calling "the most dangerous man in Iraq." Pressure is not going to cut it, I'm afraid. Why does the Mahdi Army exist? Because several million Shi'a are desperate for services and protection from criminals and Sunni insurgents, while the government has proven unable to provide those things. The Hadley memo suggests that al-Maliki's government needs to do a better job providing services in Sunni areas, but it also needs to do a better job in Shi''ite areas in order to obviate the need for Sadr. The danger, though, is that the Sadrists have become so embedded in the government that they're likely to steal resources and take credit for any patronage that results. After all, that's what they did with American aid money. Until you address the underlying security and services problems, you'll get nowhere, undermine al-Maliki, and have a raging two-front insurgency on your hands. As for the suggestion that he can broaden his base to include moderate Sunnis and Kurds, I highly doubt that Iraqis are ready to reverse the current sectarian trend. --Blake Hounshell
