Adbel Aziz al-Hakim

The speculation mounts over the reason for the visit of Shi'ia leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim to the White House. Is Bush contemplating replacing al-Maliki in some sort of coup? Is this the beginning of the so-called "80% solution" where we abandon the Sunnis and support the Shi'ia and the Kurds? After the abortive meeting between Bush and al-Maliki, anything is possible. With Bush, anything but progress is possible.