Obama's News Conference With Iraqi Prime Minister

Read the entire transcript here.

McCain Agrees With Obama on Withdrawal

Obama, without a doubt, has shifted the conversation. 

McCain alas says that 16 months is a good timetable for withdrawal but it has to be based on the conditions on the ground.

And so, this is the key differentiator between Bush McCain and Obama: Obama has said that as president, he would set the strategy and the generals on the ground would support it.

With Bush McCain, the generals on the ground have dictated the strategy because Bush hasn't had the fortitude to lead.

But now it seems everyone agrees. 

Growing Consensus on Iraq Withdrawal

Obama has shifted the Iraq war conversation from if to when and most everyone agrees, a timetable (or "horizon" if you're Bush or McCain) should be set.

U.K. Prime minister Gordon Brown agrees that the Iraq war needs to wind down. Nearly all of Europe's leaders agree. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki agrees.

Why is this concept of setting a withdrawal date so hard to understand?

Obama isn't going to leave the country in a lurch or a dangerous situation. He'll do what's right. If that means waiting longer than 16 months, then that's what will happen. But unless a strategy is set, nothing can be accomplished.

You can't begin to think about withdrawal until you set a vision and a plan for withdrawal. Bush McCain would rather just keep on bumbling on with no strategy whatsoever. 

They used to say setting a withdrawal date would give the "enemy" a clue that the U.S. was leaving, which they said could be dangerous. It was a bunch of phooey.  

Staying in Iraq may be more about saving face for Bush-McCain. They want that symbolism of "winning" -- whatever that means to them. They need to save face and somehow we have to let them for the sake of the troops and the Iraqis.

Obama, now in Israel:``If we responsibly end the war in Iraq, we can strengthen our military, step up our efforts to finish the fight against al- Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and succeed in leaving Iraq to a sovereign government that can take responsibility for its own future,'' Obama said today at a news conference in Amman, Jordan.

The Democratic presidential candidate, on a tour of the Middle East with two other senators before heading to Europe, said he wants a ``steady, deliberate'' pullout from Iraq. The plan would be flexible enough to respond to surges in violence that might occur during the withdrawal, he said.

Obama Gets Red Carpet Treatment in Iraq

WaPo: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama received a red-carpet welcome from Iraq's government Monday, and shortly afterward a government spokesman declared that it would like U.S. combat forces to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2010 -- about eight months later than Obama's proposal.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh made the statement following Obama's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has faced pressure in recent days to clarify published comments that he supported Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. combat forces within 16 months if he becomes the U.S. president.

Dabbagh did not provide a specific timetable for a U.S. pullout but declared that they were working "on a real timetable which Iraqis set," and the 2010 deadline was "an Iraqi vision."

"We can't give any schedules or dates, but the Iraqi government sees the suitable date for withdrawal of the U.S. forces is by the end of 2010," Dabbagh told reporters.

Dabbagh said Maliki did not discuss troop withdrawals with Obama. "Senator Barack Obama is a candidate, and we are talking to the administration which is in power," said Dabbagh.

Notice how they've been promptly shuffled back into lockstep with Bush. I'm sure Iraqi leaders and the rest of the world, can't wait til Bush is out of office.

Maliki Backs Obama's Plan for Iraq Exit

The more I think about it, we've been so had by the Bush administration. What is Bush McCain going to say now? That they don't know what's good for them, only the U.S. does. What a mess.

'AS SOON AS POSSIBLE'
Iraq Leader Maliki Supports Obama's Withdrawal Plans

In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Barack Obama's 16 timeframe for a withdrawal from Iraq is the right one.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months. When asked in and interview with SPIEGEL when he thinks US troops should leave Iraq, Maliki responded "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He then continued: "US 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.

Maliki was careful to back away from outright support for Obama. "Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business," he said. But then, apparently referring to Republican candidate John McCain's more open-ended Iraq policy, Maliki said: "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."

More by way of the Swamp, in the German newspaper Spiegel:

The situation in Iraq seems to be improving. SPIEGEL spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki about his approval of Barack Obama's withdrawal plans and what he hopes from US President Bush in his last months in office.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Prime Minister, the war and its consequences have cost more than 100,000 lives and caused great suffering in your country. Saddam Hussein and his regime are now part of the past. Was all of this worth the price?

Maliki: The casualties have been and continue to be enormous. But anyone who was familiar with the dictator's nature and his intentions knows what could have been in store for us instead of this war. Saddam waged wars against Iran and Kuwait, and against Iraqis in the north and south of his own country, wars in which hundreds of thousands died. And he was capable of instigating even more wars. Yes, the casualties are great, but I see our struggle as an enormous effort to avoid other such wars in the future.
SPIEGEL: Germany was opposed to the war. German Economics Minister Michael Glos was in Baghdad the week before last, Daimler AG plans to build trucks in Iraq, and you will travel to Berlin this week. Has everything been smoothed out between Germany and Iraq?
Maliki: We want closer relations, and it is my impression that the Germans -- the government, the people and German companies -- want the same thing. Our task is to rebuild a country, and the Germans are famous for effective and efficient work. We have great confidence in them and want to involve them in the development of our country.

SPIEGEL: And there is truly no resentment against a country that opposed the war in 2003?

Maliki: We do not judge our partners on the basis of whether or not they were militarily involved in toppling Saddam. The decisions back then corresponded to the national will of the countries, and we respect that.

SPIEGEL: What exactly do you expect from the Germans and from German companies?

Maliki: We want to get to know them, and we want to know what they want -- and the things they fear when thinking about Iraq. We have to start over again in many areas, including oil production, the development of the power grid and all industries. There is much to be done.

SPIEGEL: What do you expect from the Germans, politically and militarily? The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) occasionally trains Iraqi security forces -- but only in neighboring countries.
Read the rest

Update: Obama's response

Obama Campaign Senior National Security Advisor, Dr. Susan Rice, in response to Prime Minister Maliki's support for Senator Obama's Iraq plan...

Senator Obama welcomes Prime Minister Maliki's support for a 16 month timeline for the redeployment of U.S combat brigades. This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan.

Obama's foreign policy advisers.

Obama's NYT Op-Ed on Iraq

In case you didn't get it the first, second, third, fourth..... time, Obama wrote an editorial elaborating on Iraq and Afghanistan. 

NYT: ....The good news is that Iraq’s leaders want to take responsibility for their country by negotiating a timetable for the removal of American troops. Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. James Dubik, the American officer in charge of training Iraq’s security forces, estimates that the Iraqi Army and police will be ready to assume responsibility for security in 2009.

Only by redeploying our troops can we press the Iraqis to reach comprehensive political accommodation and achieve a successful transition to Iraqis’ taking responsibility for the security and stability of their country. Instead of seizing the moment and encouraging Iraqis to step up, the Bush administration and Senator McCain are refusing to embrace this transition — despite their previous commitments to respect the will of Iraq’s sovereign government. They call any timetable for the removal of American troops “surrender,” even though we would be turning Iraq over to a sovereign Iraqi government.

But this is not a strategy for success — it is a strategy for staying that runs contrary to the will of the Iraqi people, the American people and the security interests of the United States. That is why, on my first day in office, I would give the military a new mission: ending this war.

Obama Going to Iraq To Listen

Fancy that. A president who listens. Wow. Heavy stuff.

CNN: Asked if he would discuss his plans to withdraw American troops from Iraq with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in light of Maliki’s recent call for a timetable for withdrawal, Obama said he wasn’t going there to negotiate or make promises.

“I am there to listen,” answered Obama before adding that his position “is now a position that is also held by the Iraqi government itself.”

I don't know why this news hasn't gotten a lot of attention but Iraq wants a withdrawal timetable.

Iraq Asking For Specific Withdrawal Date

Well, what do you know about that. This was yesterday. Bush didn't think he meant it but Iraq's prime minister is asking again today for a commitment. 

Iraq's prime minister said Monday his country wants some type of timetable for a withdrawal of American troops included in the deal the two countries are negotiating.

It was the first time that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has explicitly and publicly called for a withdrawal timetable — an idea opposed by President Bush.

He offered no details. But his national security adviser, Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, told The Associated Press that the government is proposing a timetable conditioned on the ability of Iraqi forces to provide security.

The White House said it did not believe al-Maliki was proposing a rigid timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals.

Sadly, it seems Bush-McCain are so buried on this topic that it wouldn't happen under their watch.