The image: Maliki protecting his joint-venture partner

Reform and Jihad Front (Islamic Army in Iraq and other groups), after praising the journalist for his courageous act, "which will be written in gold in the pages of history", goes on to warn "the government of the Green Zone and the occupation" against laying hands on him or torturing him, "as is your custom in dealing with those who disagree with you." The statement addresses the occupiers, and also "those who aided the occupiers, conspiring with them in the signing of this agreement of shame and dependency:"

Here is the referendum that you were asking for, you have seen it with your own eyes. And the response of the men of the resistance will be of the kind that you are familiar with.

The referendum has been touted as a demand of the Sunni GreenZone parties, so the threat no doubt has a special meaning for them.

LB at RoadstoIraq brings together excerpts from newspapers in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, all in basic agreement with the heading on Atwan's AlQuds alArabi piece: "A suitable farewell to a war-criminal".

Lest people tend to dismiss this as a piece of fun theater, it should be noted that the defining image from this will probably be that of Maliki extending his hand to protect another human being. Not another Iraqi, but his joint-venture partner Bush. Recall that the agreement was supposed to have given Maliki hero status for forcing out the American occupier--a strategy that seems not to have worked out too well. And I think that is part of the reason for the welling-up of praise for this act throughout the Arab world as a courageous act of truth-telling.