The Media Isn't Being Played

It should be noted that the media, this time, is not being played by Bush-McCain. Even though Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki had to backtrack a bit on his meeting of the minds with Obama in order to please Bush, the media isn't buying that al-Maliki made a mistake or changed his mind or was misquoted. And hip hurrah for that! 

What Iraqis Believe

Seems to me, there's lots of room for Obama to make significant diplomatic headway. We're seen as world conquerors. I'm sure Bush McCain see us as world conquerors too, or what did Bush call it? Oh, yeah, freedom marching. 

Time: Indeed, while many Iraqis say they like Obama, few are optimistic about the difference he can make for their country as a result of his one-day visit, or even as President. "They are all the same — Democrats and Republicans, their agenda is the same, and that is to exert American control all over the world," says Nasir al-Saadi, a parliamentarian in the Sadrist movement, which is fiercely opposed to what it sees as the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In the central Baghdad neighborhood of Mansour, local Sunni community leaders — and political enemies of the Sadrists — say much of the same thing. "American policy does not depend on the President. When a new President comes up, he just continues the pre-set policy," says Sunni Awakening leader Ahmed Bassam. Although Obama reportedly discussed the future of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq with Prime Minister Maliki, Bassam remains skeptical. "American policy for Iraq was probably set 20 years ago," he says. "So I don't think American forces are going to leave. But maybe small things will change. Obama said on TV that if he wins the election, he will designate $2 billion for Iraqi refugees outside Iraq."

Obama Influencing Bush Policies

The folks on Fox News Sunday had a hard time arguing for Bush McCain this morning on this point. 

Philly: To an amazing extent, Bush foreign policy seems to be turning toward the positions of Barack Obama.
On Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and other issues, the administration was shifting gears just as the Illinois senator left embarked on his overseas voyage. Some of these changes were forced on the White House by events. Some reflect late recognition that policies were not working.

These shifts may well boost Obama when he argues that his approach to foreign policy is best. Such arguments will only work, however, if he refrains from hubris. His foreign-policy speeches reveal a man still on a learning curve.

Let's hope he listens and learns on his whirlwind trip.
Recent policy shifts at the White House have been quite stunning. On Friday, after talks between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the White House announced that the United States and Iraq will seek a "general time horizon" for deeper troop reductions. This was a Maliki demand that the White House had not anticipated or sought.

Bush officials insisted this was not an "arbitrary date for withdrawal," like the 16-month deadline Obama has promised for a U.S. troop exit. Yet Maliki has changed the tone of the U.S. political debate during the campaign season. It is now harder for Bush or John McCain to denounce Obama for talking of timelines.

Moreover, just in time for Obama's arrival, Maliki dropped a bombshell. In an interview with Der Spiegel that appeared yesterday, he said a U.S. withdrawal should come "as soon as possible." He then said Obama's timeline of "about 16 months" would "be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

Bush Can't Say Timetable

So he says "horizon." Seems Bush is trying to save face. This is not the Obama plan, Bush's peeps say. Whatever. I just hope the war winds down soon.

NYT: The United States and Iraq have agreed to set a “general time horizon” for the “further reduction of U.S. combat forces in Iraq” following the improvement in security conditions in the country, the White House said Friday.

The breakthrough, which was reached between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki in discussions via video link on Thursday, could lead to the successful completion of a long-term security agreement covering American operations in Iraq — from combat missions to detaining Iraqis — by the end of this month, a White House official said.