Now we know who is preventing Mr. Bush from making progress in Iraq: "Who is Basima Lu’ay Hassun al-Jadiri? According to Az-Zaman, this hitherto little-known adviser to al-Maliki holds the strings of power in the Iraqi state, and is responsible for much of the current ills in the country. The name of al-Jadiri first appeared in a Washington Post story on Sunday; claiming that an office in al-Maliki's administration (under the direction of al-Jadiri) has been involved in the purging of “patriotic” Iraqi officers and their replacement with subservient ones who do not oppose al-Maliki’s “pro-Shi'a” agenda."