And this time, just so there’s no confusion, they say it in English. So…is this definitive enough for all of you who’ve been doubting that Maliki meant sooner rather than later? Is the word “timetable” specific enough? Meanwhile, Obama is talking about a timetable that specifically states we would get out by 2010, and McCain [...]

Okay, now we have an official statement… “Let’s be clear, the only reason that the conversation about reducing troop levels in Iraq is happening is because John McCain challenged the failed Rumsfield-strategy in Iraq and argued for the surge strategy that is responsible for the successes we’ve achieved and which Barack Obama opposed. Unlike Barack [...]

I just posted about the new “time horizon” that the US and Iraq have agreed to, and in that post I mentioned that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki endorsed Obama’s 16 month timetable, calling it “closer to reality.” Also, take note of the following statement from Maliki… “The Americans have found it difficult to agree [...]

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 [...]

A bipartisan study group tasked with considering changes to the way congress approves wars, is recommending increased congressional responsibility. The group, co-chaired by former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher, are proposing “legislation that would require the president to consult lawmakers before initiating combat lasting longer than a week, except in cases [...]

Okay, I’ve finally heard some of things that Bud Day said on the conference call, and McCain better get rid of this guy or he has no right getting upset about what Clark said. In any event, Bud Day still claims that the Swift Boaters were okay because they were just pointing out “the truth.” [...]

As opposed to misinterpreting what McCain said about gas prices…this one is crystal clear… “I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.” As Ambinder notes, this one belongs in “The Better Left Unsaid Department…“

George Will takes issue with John McCain’s statement that the recent Supreme Court decision on Guantanamo detainees was one of the “worst decisions in history.” Will’s complaint is as much about McCain’s hyperbole as it is about McCain’s opposition to the ruling. As Will notes, this is not a clear-cut matter and people of good [...]

Can you tell it’s an election year? From Swampland comes this transcript of McCain’s statements during a town hall… The United States Supreme Court yesterday rendered a decision which I think is one of the worst decisions in the history of this country. Sen. Graham and Sen. Lieberman and I had worked very hard to [...]

Big, big news. The Supreme Court restored habeas rights for enemy combatants, and thereby acknowledged that the “War on Terrorism” has no discernible end and so detainees should be able to challenge indefinite detention. More from AP: In its third rebuke of the Bush administration’s treatment of prisoners, the court ruled 5-4 that the government [...]

Apparently, the BBC has been able to find where some of it went… The search for the missing billions also led the programme to a house in Acton in West London where Hazem Shalaan lived until he was appointed to the new Iraqi government as minister of defence in 2004. He and his associates siphoned [...]

First this… Obviously this is a really bad call on McCain’s part, especially since the Joint Chiefs have recently said, very explicitly, that members of the military should not be involved with these political campaigns… WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written an unusual open letter to all those in [...]

After the administration threw Scott McClellan under the bus in the Plame affair, you knew this had to be coming. But most revealing is his inside info about the Iraq war. Politico details some of his assertions: • McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war. • He says the White House [...]

He apparently thinks diplomacy with Iran is the best option, and as the following suggests, he’s right in line with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. From Wash Post: Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, President Bush’s nominee to lead U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, supports continued U.S. engagement with international and regional partners [...]

That’s the report from the Jerusalem media, but the administration is saying it’s false. Who’s telling the truth? The White House on Tuesday flatly denied an Army Radio report that claimed US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term. It said that while the military option had not [...]

TPM has the comparison… It’s definitely encouraging to think we’re going to have a genuine policy debate this fall about how we conduct our foreign policy. So then…is Obama naive to think he can talk with our enemies or is McCain naive to think we shouldn’t given that our current foreign policy stance has resulted [...]

Obama or McCain? The Meet The Press roundtable tackles the subject, and while nobody breaks from their partisan affiliations, it’s a good talk. Do note that Huckabee said Iran is indeed more dangerous, but he just doesn’t think it’s really Bush’s fault. Well, whose fault is it when we’re discussing American foreign policy? The Democrats? [...]

And something tells me that this will be one of those gifts that’ll keep on giving…

Chuck Todd explains why the Obama camp is cheering today… When President Bush — thousands of miles away in Israel — decided to fire his thinly veiled shot at Obama yesterday, it was a giant gift to the Illinois senator and his campaign. Why? One, it essentially kept Clinton on the sidelines just two days [...]

Here’s the transcript from MSNBC via ThinkProgress: “President Bush got it exactly right today when he warned about the threat of Iran and its terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. It is imperative that we reject the flawed and naïve thinking that denies or dismisses the words of extremists and terrorists when they shout “Death [...]