Allawi in America

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's visit to Washington induced in me a sort of incoherent strangled sputtering. Fortunately, others were more articulate. This blog post gives part of the reasons why this was not a great moment in Iraqi history:

"Allawi was brought here – forty days from the election – as part of the Bush re-election strategy, and everyone knows it. This was supposed to be a victory lap, further solidifying the themes presented at the Republican Convention – until Kerry and reality intruded. Indeed, Allawi even adopted Bush talking points about how much progress Iraq was making, and that the terrorists were 'getting more desperate.' So, let’s dispense with the little charade about how this trip was beyond politics. It was entirely about politics.

"Second, given that Bush is so radioactive in Iraq right now, I think that trotting out Allawi in the Rose Garden does little to help his legitimacy in the eyes of American-hating Iraqis. On this point, Lockhart is right on. The more Allawi is seen as a puppet of Bush (which was pretty much confirmed this week), the less chance of success he – and thus we – have. If I'm right, then Bush is sacrificing Allawi's legitimacy for the sake of his re-election."

There's more at the link.