12 Comments

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  Betzee at 10:43 AM JST - 22nd July

  Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama and the Iraqi government found agreement in Baghdad on Monday for a 2010 withdrawal of U.S. combat forces, a timeline that has faced withering criticism from Republican Sen John McCain.

  Suggesting Obama, in the absence of regular visits to Iraq, was unprepared to assume the presidency sure backfired big time.

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  Betzee at 11:00 AM JST - 22nd July

  So much for the claim this extract, which appeared in an interview in Der Spiegel, had been mistranslated with respect to Maliki's views on the desirability of setting a US troop departure date:

  Maliki: As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. 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.

  SPIEGEL: Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain?

  Maliki: Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. '

  http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566852,00.html

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  adaydream at 11:55 AM JST - 22nd July

  This is just going to eat the republicas up. McCain wanting to stay in Iraq until he's old and grey. Damn he is old and grey.

  But Iraq is in agreement that the US needs to get out sooner than later.

  < :-)

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  SushiSake3 at 12:13 PM JST - 22nd July

  adaydream - "McCain wanting to stay in Iraq until he's old and grey. Damn he is old and grey."

  LOL! :-)

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  skipthesong at 01:32 PM JST - 22nd July

  Ok, pack up and leave.

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  Betzee at 01:57 PM JST - 22nd July

  As Frank Rich, a NYT's Op-Ed columnist opined last month, this trip would enhance Obama's stature:

  The G.O.P.'s badgering of Mr. Obama about the war is also backfiring. In sync with Mr. McCain, the Republican National Committee unveiled an online clock -- ''Track How Long Since Obama Was in Iraq!'' -- only to have Mr. Obama call the bluff by announcing that he will go to both Afghanistan and Iraq before the election. Unless he takes along his own Lieberman-like Jiminy Cricket to whisper factual corrections into his ear, this trip is likely to enhance his stature as a potential commander in chief.

  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E7DE173FF931A15755C0A96E9C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2

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  SushiSake3 at 04:13 PM JST - 22nd July

  There's not many Republicans commenting about this punch-in-the-head turn of events.

  I wonder why? Could it be that they have been proven wrong YET AGAIN?? :-)

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  Madverts at 05:06 PM JST - 22nd July

  You'd think that the fact that even al-Maliki supports Senator Obama's withdrawl timetable would have made it into the headline...

  Heh, this is surely going to implode heads on the radical right.

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  skipthesong at 05:40 PM JST - 22nd July

  and what happens before and while this supposed pull out happens? In the 16 months projected time table, is fighting going to increase or decrease. How much monetary aid is also being offered in order for this pull out to happen, as many ultra-left here have accused the Maliki government to be corrupt like Repubs or is a puppet to the repubs..

  Just curious.

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  Madverts at 06:18 PM JST - 22nd July

  Skip,

  If they at least fix a deadline to leave, which is what the Iraqi's want, under the premise that if things beging to fall apart to the state of '06 levels of violence then the withdrawl can be reviewed, I think it's a good thing.

  At the minimum, it will show Iraqi's none too trusting of American intentions on their land that steps are being taken to leave, rather than stay indefinitely, which is clearly the neocon delusion.

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  skipthesong at 06:44 PM JST - 22nd July

  madverts: good point.

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  SuperLib at 10:28 PM JST - 22nd July

  There's not many Republicans commenting about this punch-in-the-head turn of events.

  If anyone did comment they'd probably ask about your previous statement saying Maliki makes his statements based on pressure from the White House to support Bush and McCain. But I'm guessing that's not the "punch-in-the-head turn of events" you're talking about.

  I'd recommend using plenty of hearty laughter in your response. If that fails you could always accuse me of being a Republican/Bush supporter or just change the topic and go on the attack with some irrlelvant questions.

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