The BBC reports that Maliki’s words were mistranslated, and a timetable for withdrawal was on the agenda during negotiations.

The prime minister was widely quoted as saying that in the negotiations with the Americans on a Status of Forces Agreement to regulate the US troop presence from next year,”the direction is towards either a memorandum of understanding on their evacuation, or a memorandum of understanding on a timetable for their withdrawal”…There is only one problem. It is not what Mr Maliki actually said.

Besides, at this point the war in Iraq is essentially over. All Mission goals will probably be accomplished by the end of this year when all benchmarks are met (currently we are 15/18) and all Iraqi provinces will be turned over. “Timetables” when victory has been achieved are administrative , rather than political or military. “How long does it take to move all your crap out of here now that we don’t need it”, is not the same as, “this war is unwinnable, this war is lost, We cannot defeat the insurgents, let’s cut our losses and get the f#$k out of here!”