John Burns: “The problem is Iraqi history, Anderson. You have a Shiite community that won power at the polls under American…”

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

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 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.