TAKES ONE… A wartime leader who speaks obvious untruths, surrounds himself with a narrow group of party ideologues who skew the information that gets to him, puts too few boots on the ground, fails to engage the international community, and may now be at the mercy of violent events beyond his control.

George W. Bush? No, it?s Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, as described in a newly-leaked memo by NSC Director Stephen Hadley.

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Paul Glastris is Editor in Chief of the Washington Monthly, founder of the magazine’s alternative college rankings, and president of the Washington Monthly Institute. He was previously a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and a correspondent and editor at U.S. News and World Report. He is a co-founder of the National Vote at Home Institute and co-author of two books, “The Other College Guide: A Roadmap to the Right School for You,” and “Elephant in the Room: Washington in the Bush Years.” He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Slate, and other publications.