The White House again tied its support o the Iraqi government to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki s moves to halt violence. White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino on Friday did not directly respond to an influential Republican senator s suggestion that the Bush administration should consider changing course if violence persists in the coming months. But Perino cited a speech by President George W. Bush in August in which the president said the Iraqi government faced a crucial moment. America is a patient nation, and Iraq can count on our partnership, as long as the new government continues to make the hard decisions necessary to advance a unified, democratic, and peaceful Iraq, Bush said at the time.
