Shiite political parties, edging toward a decision on who to choose as prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki, woke up to a huge surprise this morning; tanks and troops loyal to Maliki occupying stratgegic areas of Baghdad. Maliki insists he's not going anywhere and now has the firepower to back up his claim. CNN: Iraqi forces and tanks surged into some Baghdad neighborhoods Sunday as a wave of troops swarmed Baghdad's Green Zone -- the secure area where many government buildings, the military headquarters and the U.S. Embassy are located, two Iraqi police officials said. Exactly what led to the surge remains unclear. But some believe the beefed up military presence is part of a power struggle between second-term Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and newly elected President Fuad Masum. "You've got Nuri al-Maliki refusing to step down. Now he's mobilized not just security troops loyal to him, but now he's mobilized army units to put tanks in...(Read Full Post)