The new scapegoat

Juan Cole makes a good point about today's NY Times article headlined, "Doubts Rise on Iraqi Premier's Strength." He points out that al Maliki has his hands tied largely due to circumstances. His troops have no equipment or decent training and the country is heavily divided. He goes on to say,

So, I fear I think that the American officials in Baghdad are trying to make Maliki a scapegoat and take the spotlight off their own failures. They are the ones with the tanks and helicopter gunships and trained troops, and they haven't been able to restore security. How can Maliki?