Bush administration officials argue that the new plan is “not an open-ended commitment: we are putting real, specific requirements and expectations on the Iraqi government.” Among the political benchmarks are provincial elections, enactment of an oil law that distributes oil wealth in a way that benefits the Sunnis, and reform of the de-Baathifcation policy, which has been so costly to those who worked in the Iraqi government under Saddam.
布什当局的官员们说，新的计划“并非是没有止境的承诺，我们对伊拉克政府提出了确实具体的要求和期望。”政治标准包括省份选举以及改革消除复兴党政策，在萨达姆时期在伊拉克政府中工作的人为这一政策付出了巨大的代价。但是，做出政治妥协为时已晚，而马利基政府可能无法制定一个基础广泛的、没有教派偏见的政策。