I liked the first Iraqi Prime Minister better. The one in the Transitional Government.. I can’t remember his name. And no, I dont mean Bremmer.
Ayad Allawi was the first transitional PM.
He wasn’t elected but placed by us into his position.
His main problem is that although he is a Shia, he was a Baathist. Most Shias can’t have that.
Ibrahim Jafaari was was the first elected interim PM.
Generally said to be the worst of the three. However he oversaw the writing and ratification of the Constitution.
Nuri al-Maliki is the third PM, the second elected PM, and the first PM to serve a full term (if he isn’t replaced, which is likely).
Although a secular Sunni and a former Baathist, he was extremely popular with the general Iraqi populace, including the Sunnis, Shia and Kurds. This was because during his term as interim prime minister he showed through his actions that he intended to act fairly and impartially with regard to all factions. By the end of his term he had gained a reputation with the general populace as a man who had the determination to make the hard decisions necessary to build a unified Iraq.
As a consequence of these personal qualities and this popular reputation, he was of course unacceptable to the leaders of the various factions who were only interested in jockeying for power and influence for their own constituencies. Naturally, the idiotic US State Department agreed with the rabid partisans and refused to support Allawi.
Allawi was no George Washington, but he at least understood the big picture and recognized the need for a strong, unified Iraq which respected equally the rights of the competing factions. Maliki has never been anything but a tool and puppet of Al Sadr and the Iranians.
His job has been to make nice and keep the lid on things long enough for the Americans to leave, at which time the Iranian-backed Sadrist Shia could take over. Petraeus' successes with the surge are threatening that plan, and Maliki's masters are jerking his leash. That's what his recent intemperate behavior is all about.