Donklephant » Blog Archive » And Now…A “Time Horizon” For Withdrawal In Iraq

And Now…A “Time Horizon” For Withdrawal In Iraq

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Barack, Bush, Foreign Policy, Iraq, McCain, War

Is a time horizon a timeline? Well, not really. But a time horizon is what comes right before a timeline is set. So what the news finally represents is an acknowledgement that, at some point in the future, the US will have to leave.

From NY Times:

The agreement, announced in coordinated statements released Friday by the White House and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Malikiâ€™s government, reflected a significant shift in the war in Iraq. More than five years after the conflict began with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the American military presence now depends significantly, if not completely, on Iraqi acquiescence. [...]

The agreement that American and Iraqi negotiators are now completing is more modest than the long-term strategic pact that Mr. Bush and Mr. Maliki pledged last November to negotiate to replace the United Nations mandate at the end of this year.

The administration dropped a promise in that initial agreement to provide long-term security for Iraq, something that would require a treaty and Congressional approval. It has also backed off other demands for sweeping powers to continue military operations there indefinitely.

And yes folks, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has now said explicitly that he wants us to go. Not only that, he essentially endorsed Obama’s plan for withdrawal…

“U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.” [...]

Asked if he supported Obama’s ideas more than those of John McCain, Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend who people should vote for.

“Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality. Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems.”

Nothing lost in translation there. They want us out. We should comply.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 19th, 2008 and is filed under Barack, Bush, Foreign Policy, Iraq, McCain, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “And Now…A “Time Horizon” For Withdrawal In Iraq”

Donklephant » Blog Archive » Why Maliki’s Endorsement Of Obama’s Timetable Is So Significant Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
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