because of what they see as a failure of his leadership in facing a rebellion that displays his country at risk.

While Obama held a meeting with congressional leaders to discuss U.S. options in Iraq, senior officials in the U.S. government joined to a group of Maliki’s critics and blamed him for the mistake in solving the sectarian   divisions exploited by the militants.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Congress said in session that Maliki’s government has asked for a U.S. air force to assist them in addressing the gunmen who invaded north of the country.

The Gen. didn’t mention if Washington will accept the Iraqi request or not, but Dempsey pointed out that the U.S. army is not in a hurry to launch air strikes in Iraq, pointing to the need to clarify the volatile situation on the ground so they can choose any targets "rationally." It seems that Obama agrees to a large extent with the army in this opinion.

Obama briefed congressional leaders on Wednesday on the situation in Iraq and talked with the about options "to increase security assistance" to a country that is fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

The White House said in a statement after a meeting in the Oval Office , lasted for more than an hour that, "the Chairman presented a report on the U.S. government efforts to counter the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria by urging Iraq's leaders to set aside sectarian agendas and unite in a sense of national unity."

A source at the U.S. National Security said that Obama’s administration has quietly started to consult with Congress on a plan to redirect some of the funding for the current intelligence to help fund U.S. operations in Iraq.

The United States, which withdrew its troops from Iraq in 2011 said that Baghdad must take steps toward sectarian reconciliation before Obama decides any military action against the insurgency led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant organization split from al-Qaeda.

Maliki has so far shown little willingness to create a more inclusive administration.
“The Maliki government, candidly, has got to go if you want any reconciliation,” said US Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Republican Senator John McCain, speaking in the Senate, called for the use of American air power in Iraq, but also urged Obama to “make it make very clear to Maliki that his time is up.”

“This current government in Iraq has never fulfilled the commitments it made to bring a unity government together with the Sunnis, the Kurds, and the Shia,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the congressional hearing.

White House spokesman  , Jay Carney said that al-Maliki did not do enough "to govern in a way that is inclusive and not exclusion and that he contributed to the creation of crisis situation and that we are witnessing today in Iraq."

Carney did not reach to the extent of calling for the departure of al-Maliki. , when Carney was asked whether al-Maliki should step down , he said: "It is clear that this issue is not our to decide about it."

Earlier, White House officials said that Obama has not yet made a decision on what action should be taken, but the president has ruled out the possibility of re-forces to carry out combat role there.

Some in the anti-war camp in the Democratic Party for Obama opposed any military action that may drag the United States back into conflict.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate said after meeting Obama that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant " organization poses a real threat" to U.S. interests.

He added in a statement "Unfortunately, the Iraqi security forces are far less capable than it was when the President withdraw all our troops (at the end of 2011)”.

The focus of attention now is on the possibility of air strikes whether military aircraft or drone, but American officials explained that they are worried about the possibility of effecting wrong targets and causing losses among civilians.