Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki AP PHOTO

Bush, at his ranch in Texas, called al-Maliki to mark the anniversary of his inauguration.

"The president reaffirmed his confidence in the prime minister and noted the courage that he has shown in a difficult year," Bush spokesman Tony Fratto said.

Earlier in May, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said senators in both parties are frustrated with the Iraqi government.

"I don't know what their problem is, but this country has made an enormous investment in giving the Iraqis a chance to have a normal government after all of these years of Saddam Hussein," said McConnell.

"And there's a growing sense of bipartisan frustration in the Senate over the lack of progress on the political side of the Iraqi government," he said.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 26, 2007
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