Keep the camel's nose out of the tent

John Burns and Sabrina Tavernise tell us in today's NY Times that, notwithstanding Bush's assurances to the contrary, al Maliki and the Iraqis really don't want more U.S. troops because it will cramp their style.

BAGHDAD, Jan. 10 — As President Bush challenges public opinion at home by committing more American troops, he is confronted by a paradox: an Iraqi government that does not really want them.

The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has not publicly opposed the American troop increase, but aides to Mr. Maliki have been saying for weeks that the government is wary of the proposal. They fear that an increased American troop presence, particularly in Baghdad, will be accompanied by a more assertive American role that will conflict with the Shiite government’s haste to cut back on American authority and run the war the way it wants. American troops, Shiite leaders say, should stay out of Shiite neighborhoods and focus on fighting Sunni insurgents.

Does the analogy of the camel's nose in the tent come to mind?