Charles Krauthammer tells it straight.

I always listen when this man speaks. He has common sense. That being said, how can you have a "drawdown" of risk to our troops? Where there's a war, there's a risk and each casualty has become a major point used to "bring the troops home".

I think (or it appears) that Maliki has begun to make some changes and realizes that the majority of Americans are not happy with how he has managed his responsibilities there. It is in *his* best interest to get a handle on the local insurgents and thugs. And I know that's easy for us to say; not necessarily to do, given decades of hatred and strife among his people.