and insurgent violence, widespread corruption, and the influence of foreign powers.

Obama also stated that Iraq was “working” to build “efficient and independent and transparent” institutions despite the fact that the Iraqi government is considered wildly corrupt and secretive by Freedom House.

But this didn’t stop the president from trying to cover himself in glory for ending a war he opposed and negotiating a withdrawal that is a disaster. In what CBS News referred to as a “victory lap,” the president used the occasion of Maliki’s visit as part of a carefully staged series of events to publicize the end of the war. The show began on Saturday with the president thanking service members attending the Army-Navy football game and continued with his appearance on 60 Minutes Sunday evening.

Following hisattacks a week” across the country. Just two weeks ago, a car bomb blew up outside of a prison, killing at least 19 and wounded dozens. Two other bombings killed 15 more in Baghdad and another 19 in Basra. The most spectacular recent attack was in August when more than 70 Shia pilgrims were massacred in several different suicide bomb attacks during Ramadan.

Even the heavily fortified Green Zone has not been immune to violence. A mortar round, apparently aimed at assassinating the speaker of parliament, was fired into the walled-off compound near the parliament building.

The threat to civil society posed by al-Qaeda and the Shia militias is why some lawmakers criticized the visit of Prime Minister Maliki. Senator John McCain saidthat “the meeting between President Obama and Prime