U.S.-Iraq summit put off until Thursday

[ProSense]

U.S.-Iraq summit put off until Thursday

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
26 minutes ago

AMMAN, Jordan - President Bush's high-stakes summit with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was put off Wednesday after public disclosure of U.S. doubts about his capacity to control sectarian warfare. The White House said the two leaders would meet on Thursday.

The postponement was announced shortly after Bush arrived here for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and al-Maliki. Bush's meeting with the king was to proceed on schedule.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett denied that the move was a snub by al-Maliki or was related to the leak of a White House memo questioning the prime minister's capacity for controlling violence in Iraq.

"Absolutely not," Bartlett said." He said the king and the prime minister had met before Bush arrived from a NATO summit in Latvia. "It negated the purpose for a meeting of the three of them," Bartlett said.

more...

Maybe the newly discovered memo, maybe this.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Bush has just been dissed about as much as it is possible to be dissed

IF they keep their meeting tomorrow, I imagine the new-found alliance between Iraq and Iran might put a little frost in the air. Imagine, al-Maliki snubs Bush while the Iraqi President is off making deals with IRAN!!!!

I also bet that Saudi Arabia is plenty pissed at this turn of events. Things are going to hell in a handbasket quickly.

[ProSense]

2. Summit changed to social meeting, then

canceled:

So the President flew to Jordan to have a “social meeting” with Maliki, which Maliki decided not to attend. There’s nothing more to it. That should put all the speculation to rest.