While the White House has not publicly called for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down, pressure is ramping up on both sides of the aisle for Maliki to go before any U.S. military assistance is considered. A spokesman for Maliki said Thursday, however, that he will not step down, and claimed Maliki has “never used sectarian tactics.” Nearly every outside observer has accused Maliki of harsh sectarian actions against Sunnis and Kurds during his time in office.
