It's time for the Maliki government to go

Out of the many grave mistakes the Bush administration made in Iraq, probably the worst was the race to empower an elected Iraqi government before we had established security, basic services and built democratic institutions from the ground up. In a lawless environment and with no history of democracy to guide them, the Iraqi people naturally elected those who provided security and other services - the local warlords. As a result, the Iraqi parliament and the Maliki government are made up of the most divisive leaders in Iraq and defensive leaders in Iraq.

Prime Minister Maliki has not cut his ties to radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr. His execution of Saddam Hussein highlights his goal, the establishment of a Shiite state ruling, more or less vengefully, over the Sunnis. Maliki is critical of the US working with Sunnis to destroy al Qaeda, and he's critical of our raids on radical Shiites because these actions threaten that goal. Maliki's subtle threats to ally with Iran should spell the end of his government.

Maliki has proved he does not want to unite Iraq, he wants his sect to rule over it. But Gen. Petraeus' success in bringing Iraqis of all sects to the US side to fight the foreign terrorists shows that most Iraqis want peace, and peace requires reconciliation.

The contrast between the people's support of American forces and the isolation of their own government makes it likely the Maliki government will be toppled and replaced with a coalition that truly wants to unite Iraq. Thanks to Gen. Petraeus' long overdue counterinsurgency strategy, the Iraqi people are finally making progress at restoring their own basic services, working together, and working with national government agents. The Iraqi people won't allow the Maliki government to continue to stand in the way of peace.