John Burns

He has said repeatedly that it is the duty of the people, something Hitler also said, in effect to die for him.

He is utterly resistant to any idea there could be any separation of those two entities, he is Libya.

Gadhafi shared one characteristic in common with Adolph Hitler, who died in his own bunker by his own hand, which is that he identifies himself with the Libyan people.

The message of which is you don't control anything. And of course part of that message even perhaps a large part of that message is directed at the Congress in Washington, D.C.

The American commanders here warned early on that putting 30,000 more troops into this fight was bound to mean that there would be more casualties.

the Maliki government -- and in a sense, who can blame them -- has been preparing for some time for an eventual American military withdrawal and an all- out civil war.

the vast majority of Iraqis and certainly the vast majority of Baghdadis... will welcome this American troop increase because it's about the only thing that may, in the short to medium term, bring a greater degree of stability.

How soon will the resistance come? Because there will be resistance at some point, just as a consequence of the basic political arithmetic of Iraq, which is that he cannot afford an open rupture with Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi army.

I think the pressure that has been brought to bear on Mr. Maliki has been very considerable. And I think he was bound to make some movement in this direction.

There's no doubt that the resignation of the Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has had a liberating effect. There's no doubt there is now a freer air about this.

The idea that you have a political leader, the prime minister, right involved in the operational chain of command, picking targets, picking who you go after and who you don't go after.

We are implementing a strategy to embolden a government that is actually part of the problem... We are being played like a pawn.

The problem is Iraqi history, Anderson. You have a Shiite community that won power at the polls under American protection, that had waited a thousand years for this opportunity.

I think that there are -- there are profound reasons to believe that Mr. Maliki, a Shiite leader, a Shiite religious leader has a different agenda than President Bush does.

He did not want more U.S. troops. He did not want more U.S. troops in the heart of Baghdad. That's what he's going to get.

the Maliki government -- and in a sense, who can blame them -- has been preparing for some time for an eventual American military withdrawal and an all- out civil war.

the vast majority of Iraqis and certainly the vast majority of Baghdadis... will welcome this American troop increase because it's about the only thing that may, in the short to medium term, bring a greater degree of stability and curb…

I think to be fair to the Maliki government, if you look at the history of Iraq, it would be very unrealistic for them not to have that plan B.

They wanted the politicians -- the Iraqi politicians not to squander this opportunity, a peaceful election, an election in which all communities participated.

There's a major problem ahead. The renegotiation of the constitution will go to some very, very divisive issues.

The Americans see in this an opportunity to try and draw those Baathist insurgent groups into the political process.