Pleading won't make it so.

Something about the tone of this,

Talk about whether Iraq's government will survive is taboo among U.S. officials, but experts and diplomats say the hobbled coalition is in big trouble and the betting is it won't last....

The State Department's key players responsible for Iraq policy declined interviews on the strength of Iraq's government, but U.S. officials have made it clear that Washington backs Maliki and that talk of a collapse of his government is unhelpful.

The still unanswered question is what comes next. I think the only thing that is keeping the Maliki government from being pulled under is that nobody can manage a consensus alternative.

(And Rand says, plan for failure.)