Maliki Don’t Like the Criticism No More

This was to be expected:

Iraq’s prime minister lashed out Wednesday at U.S. criticism, saying no one has the right to impose timetables on his elected government and that his country “can find friends elsewhere.”

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed the U.S. presidential campaign for the recent tough words about his government — from President Bush and from other U.S. politicians.

Maliki:

“No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It was elected by its people,” he said at a news conference in Damascus at the end of the three-day visit to Syria.

“Those who make such statements are bothered by our visit to Syria. We will pay no attention. We care for our people and our constitution and can find friends elsewhere,” al-Maliki said.

It will be interesting to see whether the foreign criticism will help get Iraq’s politicians together. In every other country it would work that way: criticize a nation’s leader (no matter how unpopular) and suddenly the people of that nation rally up behind him. Sadly, Iraq is not like most other nations so the only thing this is likely to accomplish is more stress and more problems.