Bloodless Coup

Prime Minister Maliki - Blocking Combat Against the Shiite Militias

So you've probably seen this depressing article in the Times, noting the latest depressing behavior of the Iraqi government that we are fighting (and dying) for:

A department of the Iraqi prime minister's office is playing a leading role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and national police officers, some of whom had apparently worked too aggressively to combat violent Shiite militias, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad ... several were considered to be among the better Iraqi officers in the field. The dismissals have angered U.S. and Iraqi leaders who say the Shiite-led government is sabotaging the military to achieve sectarian goals.

Now one might wonder why we'd tolerate such behavior, how the Bush administration could put up with it - and then one might remember that it's the same administration that brought us Monica Goodling, and then these events fall more clearly into place. Team Bush might not like what Maliki is doing, but one imagines they can understand it.