U.S. spied on Iraqi prime minister, Bob Woodward book says

There's news in the new book by Bob Woodward, and it's not going to make life easier for the White House or John McCain's campaign to move in there:

The Bush administration has run an "extensive spying operation" in Iraq, focused on the Iraqi prime minister -- one of President Bush's biggest allies there.

According to the Washington Post's account, scheduled to appear on Page One of the paper's Friday edition, the United States has spied on Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, his staff and others in the government there.

How extensively?

"We know everything he says," the Post account says one of Woodward's sources told him.

The book, coming out Monday, is "The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008."

Another headline in the book by the Post associate editor -- and one that goes to the heart of McCain's approach to the war: The notable decrease in violence in Iraq is not primarily the result of the steep increase in U.S. forces that began in 2007.

Rather, Woodward reports, "groundbreaking" new covert techniques, beginning in 2007, enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to locate, target and kill insurgent leaders and key individuals in extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq....

Overall, Woodward writes, four factors combined to reduce the violence: the covert operations; the influx of troops; the agreement by militant cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to rein in his powerful Mahdi Army; and the so-called Anbar Awakening, in which tens of thousands of Sunnis turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and allied with U.S. forces.

McCain has placed top priority on the buildup, reminding audiences throughout his presidential campaign that as unpopular as the surge was, he was for it before others were. Indeed, he presents himself as a leading proponent of the surge.

Woodward, according to his newspaper's account, found dissension within the administration, officials "either unwilling or slow to confront the deterioration of its strategy in Iraq during the summer and early fall of 2006" and the president saying publicly that the U.S. was "winning" while he believed the long-term strategy of training Iraqi forces and handing over responsibility was failing.

And, the Post reports, when he was asked in an interview with Woodward about how "the White House settled on a troop surge of five brigades after the military leadership in Washington had reluctantly said it could provide two, Bush said: 'Okay, I don't know this. I'm not in these meetings, you'll be happy to hear, because I got other things to do.' "

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Kevin Wolf / Associated Press

Comments

[Peter]

NO say it aint so, the Party of Bush and McCain spyed on an iraq official??
I cant even remember a good speech McCain has given. I dont think McCain will hold a Candle to Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee tonight. He is not a great speaker. Probably should not of been the nominee., I am really starting to like Sarah Palin, Ive read a bit of her Bio they have posted and some old videos and pictures at http://www.veeppeek.com., But I am still struggling with all these questions about scandal and her daughters boy friend seems like a little thug.? http://www.hotpres.com We will see, McCain Palin has not earned my vote yet.