Interesting Question: Why Leak the Maliki Government Memo?

[BurtWorm]

I was thinking about it earlier while reading the NYTimes article. Foertunately, Democracy Arsenal's Heather Hurlburt asked herself the question and supplies this interesting speculation:

http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2006/11/why_leak_the_ma.html



Posted by Heather Hurlburt

I've been trolling the web looking for commentary on this question, which seems important. But I haven't found any yet. So I'm going to make some up.

The chief effects of the leak seem to be:

1. Re-focusing attention on how weak and ineffective the Maliki government is.

2. Further clarifying how detached the Administration is from reality (read the memo's "Steps Maliki Could Take" and, umm, weep.) Telling a prime minister to change his personal staff so it "reflects the face of Iraq?" Bring his "political strategy with Moktada al-Sadr to closure" (that would be the strategy that brought him to power)??

3. Giving Maliki additional reasons (if threats from Sadr weren't enough) to cancel today's dinner with President Bush, delivering the kind of stinging slap that Senator-elect Webb can only dream of.

4. Reminding Americans that the self-effacing National Security Adviser is named Steve Hadley (who seemed like a smart, pragmatic moderate back in the Bush 1 days, when I was a young Congressional whippersnapper "monitoring" his arms control team --yes, Virginia, Republicans used to believe in arms control).

I'll rule out #3 and #4 as unintended consequences. So either somebody thought this memo made brilliant points that the public needed to know, or that weren't being acted on fast enough, or (more likely?) someone wanted #1 and/or #2 to be forced on the Administration from the outside.

Remember how secrecy and loyalty seemed to be woven into the Bush team's DNA in 2001? Calling in a reporter to show them a memo like this is a breathtaking breach of trust. It makes me wonder whether the Administration is capable of acting effectively -- and calls into comprehensive doubt, I think, Marc Grinberg's hopes that this Administration can re-invent itself as a get-er-done realist.

November 29, 2006 at 04:51 PM in Iraq | Permalink

[BOSSHOG]

1. I think it focuses

on how weak the bush administration is. Hey lets not talk to maliki. Okay, why not? Well it will make someone think we are in charge. bush is a fucking dunderhead and a failure and our kids continue to die and he will eventually run off to paraguay and avoid any responsibility. Die, conservatism, die.

[BurtWorm]

3. Who inside the admin wants to harm it?

Or harm it's management of the war even more than it's already been harmed?

Or *is* it the work of someone who seriously thought Hadley's analysis was brilliant and needed to see the light of day so Americans would understand what geniuses are at the helm?

( :spray: )

[LonelyLRLiberal]

2. I hope it's number 2.

That would mean Bush's White House is imploding, and we might find out all kinds of things about the inner workings of the evil empire.

[SutaUvaca]

4. Heather's points are interesting

but I still think as I posted earlier today, the "leak" is just one element in a spin being set up to blame Maliki for the civil war and exonerate the idiot-in-chief who caused the situation.

[Vincardog]

5. The Iraqi people told Maliki "Meet with Bush and get out of government."

Maliki signed a deal with Iran,
Maliki dissed aWoL by not showing up for the State Visit.
aWOl responded with all the maturity of a kid stood up at a dance.
(He called his date a bad name).

[reality based]

6. Remember that talk about having to forgo "democracy" in Iraq?

I figure there are elements pushing for a coup, ignoring one of the last slender reeds of "legitimacy" for our present involvement.

[creeksneakers2]

7. It could have been a message for Maliki

Warning Maliki about negotiating with Iran and Syria. The White House was reminding Maliki he could be replaced, while still showing support for him publicly and in private meetings.

[Flabbergasted]

8. This is Precisely why......

snip

According to the state broadcaster al-Iraqiya, the 30 parliamentarians of the al-Sadr movement suspended their participation in the coalition that backs al-Maliki as prime minister because of the meeting with Bush.

snip

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1227757.php/US-Iraq_summit_delayed_Abdullah_calls_for_Iraqi_unity__Roundup_

[spanone]

9. This was leaked on purpose. This was between Hadley & Bush*. It had to be leaked by the WH.

[Beetwasher]

10. My First Thought Is Someone Wanted To Sabotage Chimpy's Trip

Now WHY they would want to do that is another question.

[BurtWorm]

14. That was my first thought--and bafflement--as well.

They want to hurt Maliki, most likely.

[Beetwasher]

15. I Dunno

I think it was more likely to torpedo Chimpy and make him look bad, which it did, timed as it was with the Iraq/Iran security agreement. It gave Maliki the chance to save some face w/ the anti-American elements by cancelling the meeting and embarrasing Bush. Relations between Chimpy and Maliki can only sour even MORE from this point forward. That's my read anyway.

It's truly a fascinating leak though. Believe it or not, I could actually even see it coming from Cheney's camp. Cheny's probably pretty pissed at Chimpy right now for dumping Rummy and because Chimpy rolled over for Poppy's pals who are now attempting to freeze the Dick out.

There's a lot of directions this could have come from though.

[BurtWorm]

16. Cheney...

Now that's an interesting theory!

:think:

[Boo Boo]

11. In the business world leaks like this are meant to sabotage negotiations. /nt

[Imagevision]

12. Get a clue! - Bush wanted to get the word out to Malaki about the reason for Bush's trip

Anyone think Hadley actually pulled an unintentional accidental oops!?? poleeze!

Malaki gets the word and already knows he's lost al-sadr so he postpones meeting to attempt to come out of this Iraq blunder with his own skin in tack.

[Imagevision]

13. Get a clue! - Bush wanted to get the word out to Malaki about the reason for Bush's trip.

Anyone think Hadley actually pulled an unintentional accidental oops!?? poleeze!

Malaki gets the word and already knows he's lost al-sadr so he postpones meeting to attempt to come out of this Iraq blunder with his own skin in tack.