Deal for Iraq Timetable; Obama the Knowledgeable Foreign Policy Leader, Not McSame
When Senator Obama called for a timetable for US troop withdrawal from Iraq he was vilified by McSame and the Bush administration.
Now the Bush administration and Iraq have agreed to a timetable for US troops withdrawal from Iraq.
As the Washington Post reports: "U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have agreed to the withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces from the country by the end of 2011, and Iraqi officials said they are "very close" to resolving the remaining issues blocking a final accord that governs the future American military presence here.
"Iraqi and U.S. officials said several difficult issues remain, including whether U.S. troops will be subject to Iraqi law if accused of committing crimes. But the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to discuss the agreement publicly, said key elements of a timetable for troop withdrawal once resisted by President Bush had been reached.
"We have a text," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said after a day-long visit Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"The question of immunity for U.S. troops and Defense Department personnel from Iraqi legal jurisdiction -- demanded by Washington and rejected by Baghdad -- remained unresolved. Troop immunity, one U.S. official said, "is the red line for us." Officials said they were still discussing language that would make the distinction between on- and off-duty activities, with provisions allowing for some measure of Iraqi legal jurisdiction over soldiers accused of committing crimes while off-duty.
"U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have now also agreed to a conditions-based withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by the end of 2011, a date further in the future than the Iraqis initially wanted. The deal would leave tens of thousands of U.S. troops inside Iraq in supporting roles, such as military trainers, for an unspecified time. According to the U.S. military, there are 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, most of whom are playing a combat role.
"The first Iraqi political test will come Friday, Zebari said in a conversation with reporters after the news conference, when Maliki's executive council will examine the parts of the text that negotiators have agreed to, as well as proposals to deal with immunity and other issues. "Tomorrow is a very important day," Zebari said."
So, while the deal is far from signed, sealed and delivered, the Bush regime is following Obama's prescient, knowledgable foreign policy for an Iraq withdrawal timetable. The Bushites are such hypocrites and liars!
As ThinkProgress reports:"Via Attackerman, the New York Times also noted the possibility of an extended U.S. presence in Iraq:
Even if the goal of withdrawing combat troops by 2011 is realized, the accord does leave open the possibility that American military trainers and support forces could remain in Iraq after that time. It is unclear whether the accord provides for semipermanent military bases in the country, and what role the United States would play in providing air and naval support for Iraq
And here was Think Progress' report on McSame's stance on timetables in Iraq:
"It is unclear, however, where Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will stand, as he has marched in lockstep with Bush in railing against any use of "timetables." In January, for example, McCain said of Mitt Romney's advocacy of a timeline, "Timetables was the buzzword for those that wanted to get out." McCain has demagogued the issue, hammering anyone who advocates any form of timetables:
“If you pass a resolution that dictates withdrawal and a time for withdrawal, all you're doing is telling the enemy, ˜hang on, we're leaving." " [March 2007]
“If you set a date for withdrawal, then the consequences of failure are catastrophic." [8/20/07]
"An artificial timetable based on political expediency would have led to disaster and could still turn success into defeat." [7/19/08]
“They'll come home with honor. And it won't be just at a set timetable." [7/22/08]
"In July, after McCain said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's 16-month withdrawal timeline was a "pretty good timetable," he quickly distanced himself from the "buzzword," telling ABC two days later, I didn't use the word timetable."
"Iraqi and U.S. leaders seem to be agree on the idea of a timetable for reducing the U.S. presence. Will McCain smear the compromise as advocating "defeat" and "surrender" in Iraq?"
The situation proves that it is Barack Obama, not warmongerer J. Sid McSame or failed the Bush regime, that has the foreign policy knowledge and vision to keep American secure.
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