WE CAN PRESSURE MALIKI WITHOUT THREATENING A SELF-DEFEATING WITHDRAWAL

Hilary Clinton recently threatened the democratically elected leader of Iraq because she's not happy with the lack of progress his government is making on vital domestic issues - issues which MUST be resolved if we are to win in Iraq.

(Critiques HERE and HERE.)





Senator Warner and others have recently called for us to begin withdrawals from Iraq in order to pressure the elected government of Iraq to make needed - if not OVERDUE - political compromises, and speed political reconciliation among the factions in Iraq.


(Critiques HERE and HERE.)

These policy suggestions from Hillary and Warner and others amount to nothing more than cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

AND WE DON'T NEED TO THREATEN COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE AND SELF-DEFEATING POLICIES TO GET THE IRAQIS TO "MOVE THEIR ASSES."

HERE'S WHAT WE SHOULD DO:

Let's tell Maliki that UNLESS the Iraqi Government makes the necessary political compromises necessary - AS SOON AS THEIR PARLIAMENT COMES BACK FROM VACATION - we will seize the oil fields and quarantine the oil - and we will hold them until they do.

Basically, all they have to do is get the Parliament ratify the oil bill they rest of the Iraqi government signed on to months ago.

At the very least - until that happens, we should sell the oil and put the money into escrow until they make a deal.

This would put real pressure on the Iraqi government without undermining our counter-attack, the surge.