Bush DoD nominee gives Iraqi government an ‘F.’

THINK PROGRESS

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, President Bush’s nominee to be assistant secretary of Defense for international security affairs, Mary Beth Long, criticized the Iraqi government’s failure to meet key legislative benchmarks. “At this time, I would give the Maliki government an ‘F’,” said Long. (Sub. Req.) Long added that Maliki’s government has not acted in an “exemplary manner” towards passing legislation. According to CongressDailyPM, Long’s statements “echoed findings in a GAO report released this fall that concluded that the Iraqi government had met only one of its eight legislative benchmarks.”