BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Bush called a crackdown on Shiite militias critical to success in Iraq, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been noticeably silent - perhaps because Bush's plan would mean attacks on the Shiite radicals who have helped his Shiite coalition expand its political dominance.
In announcing a new Iraq policy Wednesday night, Bush said earlier efforts to tame the sectarian bloodshed in Baghdad had been snarled by "political and sectarian interference (that) prevented Iraqi and American forces from going into neighborhoods that are home to those fueling the sectarian violence.
It's the third time since May that a joint U.S.-Iraqi program to calm the capital has been announced.
"This time, Iraqi and American forces will have a green light to enter those neighborhoods," Bush said. "Prime Minister Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated."
However, al-Maliki, a devout Shiite, hasn't said anything nearly so straightforward, at least in public. He's issued instead vague assurances that anyone illegally carrying weapons would be dealt with harshly.
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