Obama, Maliki, McCain
John McCain in 2004:
QUESTION: Let me give you a hypothetical, senator. What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there? I understand it’s a hypothetical, but it’s at least possible.
McCAIN: Well, if that scenario evolves, then I think it’s obvious that we would have to leave because— if it was an elected government of Iraq— and we’ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government, then I think we would have other challenges, but I don’t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.
The elected head of state of sovereign Iraq said this to Der Spiegel this past weekend:
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.”
and
“So far the Americans have had trouble agreeing to a concrete timetable for withdrawal, because they feel it would appear tantamount to an admission of defeat,” Maliki told SPIEGEL. “But that isn’t the case at all. If we come to an agreement, it is not evidence of a defeat, but of a victory, of a severe blow we have inflicted on al-Qaida and the militias.”
The Bush Administration first blundered by promoting the Spiegel article to its press distribution list rather than an internal distribution list, and then sometime on Sunday, Maliki issued a “clarification” of his remarks, which was puzzlingly released through the US Central Command.
Oh, and did I mention that Maliki’s “clarification” came after the White House called him to tell him to “clarify”?
From the New York Times:
Mr. Maliki’s interview prompted immediate concern from the Bush administration, which called to seek clarification from Mr. Maliki’s office, American officials said.
Scott M. Stanzel, a White House spokesman with President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., said that embassy officials explained to the Iraqis how the interview in Der Spiegel was being interpreted, given that it came just a day after the two governments announced an agreement over American troops.
“The Iraqis were not aware and wanted to correct it,” he said.
So, the Iraqis trotted out a guy to say that Spiegel screwed up the translation.
Diplomats from the United States Embassy in Baghdad spoke to Mr. Maliki’s advisers on Saturday, said an American official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss what he called diplomatic communications. After that, the government’s spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, issued a statement casting doubt on the magazine’s rendering of the interview.
The statement, which was distributed to media organizations by the American military early on Sunday, said Mr. Maliki’s words had been “misunderstood and mistranslated,” but it failed to cite specifics.
“Unfortunately, Der Spiegel was not accurate,” Mr. Dabbagh said Sunday by telephone. “I have the recording of the voice of Mr. Maliki. We even listened to the translation.”
But the interpreter worked for Maliki – not Spiegel, and the Times got a hold of the tape, and offers this direct translation from its original Arabic:
“Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq.”
He continued: “Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.”
And all of this comes during a campaign where McCain and Bush have steadfastly refused to consider a timetable for American troops to leave Iraq, lest it be perceived as failure. The Republicans have been trying to apply the “cut & run” language they used against Kerry against Obama, but 2004 is different from 2008. So different, in fact, that the White House itself has had to acknowledge that some sort of pullout is going to happen, but they prefer to call it a “time horizon” or somesuch.
By talking pullout, Bush and Maliki have effectively removed one of the big rationales behind McCain’s candidacy.
(EDITS: Links added, corrections made)
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There is Obama on tape in 4/07 saying that we should have pulled out then because the surge “WILL NEVER WORK”. No sectarian deaths in 6 weeks, and he won’t acknowledge
1. the Surge–WHICH WAS MCCAIN’S IDEA–and Obama was vehemently against even trying–WORKED.
2. He was wrong when he was screaming that the “SURGE WILL NEVER WORK” just over a year ago.
3. Had we listened to Obama and pulled out of Iraq before the surge, there would be no democratic government in Iraq to go and visit.
The poll that shows fewer than 35% of the public thinks Obama is ready to be CIC is the one you should look at.
Although he was 5th on my list for the R Nomination, when looking at who I think should be CIC,
I prefer the Career Naval Officer, Congressman and longtime Senator who though up the idea of the troop Surge that
a.Routed Al-Queda in Iraq.b. Broke up the Mehdi Army and other sectarian militias. c. Gave the Iraqi Government the time it needed to bring the Sunnis back into the government.
I don’t prefer the never served, less than 1 term Senator that said we should have turn tail and run away 15 months ago, vehement in his opinion that the plan of his opponent would NEVER WORK.
Don’t need an eye exam to see Obama’s JUST NOT READY.
Even a shitty politician doesn’t go on a “Fact Finding Mission” when their mind is made up before they leave.
Excellent summary of a very important story, Alan – thanks.
Too late hank, Obama already won and you can thank you good buddy GWB for it.
And the countdown begins to when McCain and Bush call Maliki an “extremist” and pledge to stay in Iraq for 1,000 years.
Hank – if we had withdrawn our troops in April 2007, there would be approximately 877 men and women from our armed forces still alive.
http://icasualties.org/oif/
We are far past any incremental military gains the “surge” may have achiveved. Making a fucked-up situation marginally less fucked-up still leaves us with a fucked-up situation. Our goal of establishing a politically viable Iraqi government and training Iraqis to police themselves is nowhere near the mark. We are not “winning” anything by staying in Iraq….we are exacerbating an already volatile sectarian conflict and leaving our servicepeople as sitting ducks in the middle of a civil war. We know it, the voters know it, Obama knows it and now we have confirmation that Maliki knows it.
let me give you a hypothetical senator. and a respected magazine that ran a satirical cover this hypothetical senator didn’t like. and let’s just say that a week later, the washington correspondent from the magazine, whose covers he has nothing to do with, put in for press credentials because the senator was having a giant phony photo op in iraq that the entire washington press corps was going to.
now if that senator was a real fucking dick, he would ban the reporter from going on the trip, right?
right.
Mike Hudson – two can play that game.
Let’s say you are a fucking incompetent president who lost the popular vote, but got ushered into office thanks to the worst Supreme Court decision of our lifetime. You surround yourself with insane neocons who are obsessed with invading Iraq from the moment they get into power. After 9/11, you have a cowering, simpering, subservient press corps that won’t dare to question the obvious holes in your case for invading a soverign Middle Eastern nation…except one. Helen Thomas, of the Hearst Newspapers, who is considered the grand dame of the Washington press corps, an accomplished newswoman who’s covered 8 presidents before your dumb ass ever sniffed the White House, who’s rightfully earned her front row seat at White House press briefings.
But, she asks uncomfortable questions and makes your press secretary squirm like the shifty toad that he is. So what do you do? You move this 87 year old woman to the back row and don’t call on her.
The current administration has no equal in disgusting displays of childish tantrums and outright pettiness. And remind me again when Helen Thomas’s publication put a racist, offensive image of President Bush on the cover?
Hudson: Yes, Obama would be a dick for doing that and it would be a move that I wouldn’t respect.
oh dear, let’s rake Obama over the coals because the New Yorker put a racist cartoon of him on its cover and then expected him to welcome their reporter with open arms.
Obama doesn’t take shit from anybody….and that’s one of the reasons why I’m supporting him.
Hudson stick to covering the news 3 blocks from your rented room.
Hank – if we had withdrawn our troops in April 2007, there would be approximately 877 men and women from our armed forces still alive.
And every one of those losses is a tragedy.
And every one of those combat troops signed up AS A VOLUNTEER, KNOWING WHAT THE POSSIBLE OUTCOME COULD BE. NO CONSCRIPTION. So though we mourn their loss, they weren’t forced to be there.
They joined the military to defend your right to be an asshat, sitting in Fort Living Room, arm chair quarterbacking every move they make. And the troops just do their job, the less they think about all the worthless assholes back home that tell them they can’t win, the better of a job they do. So Good on you for that.
Obama don’t take any shit from anyone? Are you on LSD?
You can’t say anything about what he says, where he comes from, anything is ignorant monkey of a wife says, it’s wrong to suggest he learned anything sitting in the church of a rabid white racist for 20 years, every subject is “hands off”. And when he gets in front of a microphone, he sounds like Thomas Jefferson, as long as the teleprompter runs.
Yep, he’s quite a guy.
@ Mike–He’s gonna lose, and it’s all gonna be the fault of the Bush Haters. BTW, in 1992 and 1996 an incompetent won the white house without a majority of the popular vote. Turd.
Hudson, McCain used the back door last night, is this going to be front page news in your paper two weeks from now? But like you said before, you could’nt find the art gallery because there is no bar next door to it. Mike stick to reporting on what you can see from your window.
And hank, but why do people hate bush? Maybe because he’s the Hoover of this generation, leading us to econmic ruin.
A gallon of gas at the Mobil on Elmood @ Forest: $4.29
Per-day cost of the never-ending occupation in Iraq: $255,000,000
Watching Hank’s head explode as he watches a black man inaugurated as our 44th President: Priceless
ems and mike seem to be under the mistaken impression that bush is running for a third term. when hillary was running against obama you said she was just like bush and now that mccain’s running against him he’s just like bush. bush bush bush. bush league.
also ems, “Obama doesn’t take shit from anybody….and that’s one of the reasons why I’m supporting him.”
the reporter in question gave obama exactly zero shit. this was every bit as petty and vindictive as what bush did to the great helen thomas. we all know bush is a dick, but you guys have been telling me for a year that obama is somehow “different.” the major problem with bush is that he doesn’t take any shit from anybody either. the majority of the american people have opposed the war for the past four years and he’s pretty much said “fuck you.”
humanist summed it up best. “Watching Hank’s head explode as he watches a black man inaugurated as our 44th President: Priceless.”
what you all seem to be endorsing is the idea of affirmative action for filling the office of president of the united states in order to stick it to “other” white people you deem to be racially insensitive.
we’ll see how that’s working out for you in about two years.
40 seats, 200 requests. Why should the New Yorker take precedence over any other publication?
@Mike Hudson – no, the joy on our faces is watching racist imbeciles like Hank about to shit their pants at the prospect of a President of color. It’s hardly “affirmative action” when a candidate wins the majority of his party’s primaries and caucuses. We are witnessing history in the making…it’s too bad you and Hank can’t appreciate that.
McCain=Bush’s third term, make no mistake about it.
I invest in the stock market, and Obama wants to double my taxes on capital gains and dividends and give it to welfare crack smoking trash.
Obama was totally wrong about the ’surge’ and said it wouldn’t work no matter what.
Great lack of jugdment Obama, the troops are the ones who allowed you to finally vistit Iraq after almost three long years. One million bucks for a three point basket and full liberal media coverage. We really got our monies worth taxpayers.
You stupid liberals treat Obama like he’s the new Mesiah, but he’s just another politican with tinted skin color. wow! A flip flopping lying weasel who promises you everything and will give you NOTHING, just like the 110th liberal Democrat Congress who has a 9% approval rating.
I’ve been around for 49 years now, so I can see and smell BS when it’s in front of my face and Obama is so full of it, his skin is brown.
Yeah, reduce the troops in Iraq as the generals say fit, declare victory and increase some in Afghainstan and everywhere al-Qaeda and the Taliban are. That’s NOT an Obama plan, it’s a common sense military plan of operation.
Obama doesn’t give a damn about Buffalo and NY sate. Obama now that there’s plenty of ignorant people here to win this state and not have to lift a finger. That’s goes for California and the states that depend on welfare and have huge minority populations. The only voters Obama has are poor racist blacks uppity, elitist liberal snobs and ignorant young punk kids.
That liberal carpet bagger Hillary s one great senator. $165,000 a year and she’s done NOTHING for this state. EVER! The morally corrupt Clintons just used the fools of this state as a stepping stone to try and become president.
It’s s sad that I have to explain this to you, ignorant stupid liberal Democrat fools.
WASHINGTON Iraqi insurgents have nearly ceased their once-constant attacks on convoys delivering U.S. supplies for reconstruction projects and equipment for Iraq’s security forces, and shipments are at their highest levels since the start of the war.
Through June 2008, there were only 93 attacks on about 6,100 logistics convoys carrying supplies ranging from building materials for schools, hospitals and public utilities to weapons for local police, Pentagon data obtained by USA TODAY show.
Iraqi insurgents have nearly ceased their once-constant attacks on convoys delivering U.S. supplies for reconstruction projects and equipment for Iraq’s security forces, and shipments are at their highest levels since the start of the war.
Through June 2008, there were only 93 attacks on about 6,100 logistics convoys carrying supplies ranging from building materials for schools, hospitals and public utilities to weapons for local police, Pentagon data obtained by USA TODAY show.
Looks like the Dark Knight was WRONG.
Poor judgment and a lack of character and experience, yet the stupid liberals drool over this fool. Chris Matthews thinks Obama is Abe Lincoln. lol
Free the slaves. End welfare and Section 8
NO ATTACKS ON AMERICAN SOIL SINCE SEPT 11TH 2001. Count those days Keith Olbermann, you filthy liberal slimeball.
@James FTW with these:
Oh, and there have been no attacks on American soil since September 11th. We don’t talk about attacks in other countries perpetrated by al Qaeda. And we don’t talk about the anthrax letters that killed 5 people within a month or two after 9/11.
Ever notice the only people who give Obama the whole messiah rap are the people who hate him? His supporters sorta don’t.
couple of things, pundit. i don’t hate anyone. well, i do hate people but none of them are named obama. that said, the messianic tendencies obama’s followers place in him is a trait that’s been noted by observers on both the left and the right, here in this country and abroad. most recently, in the new york times, german novelist christoph peters wrote in an overwhelmingly pro-obama and anti-bush op-ed of the fact that obama’s style “may sometimes look troublingly messianic.”
as i said, the piece couldn’t have been more pro-obama if michele had written it.
the germans these days are very wary of such things. so are the italians. the russians, it seems, still like the idea of a charismatic leader, as do born-again christians practicing the cult of personality here in our own country.
as for the “humanist,’ calling someone you’ve never met and don’t know a racist is beyond ignorant. i won’t go into it except to say fuck you you misogynist, wife-beating asshole.
and james z., a question. how is it that a moron such as yourself managed to live for 49 years in this world without some charitable soul putting you out of your misery?
I think people are mistaking “inspiring” with “messianic”. No one ever said Obama could walk on water or cure the blind. But we do hope that he can lurch this country back off the path set for it by the current administration.
If that seems Jesus-like, I think it speaks more for the utter disgrace of Bush 43 than the deification of Obama.
This literally made me laugh:
“His supporters sorta don’t.”
I love the “sorta”.
I must say, it is an utter joy to watch the crypto-racists (well, Hank’s pretty out and proud about his ignorance) worry themselves into knots about the spectre of a black President. It’s as if Racial Armegeddon is fast approaching and they are the doomed souls. Do all you racists think that, once Obama takes office, you’ll have to pledge allegiance to the Black Panther flag, sing “One Nation Under a Groove” for our national anthem, throw up the Black Power salute and watch “Roots” on a daily loop?
NOTE: I AM A PERSON OF COLOR AND I’M NOT VOTING FOR OBAMA BECAUSE OF HIS SKIN COLOR. I’M VOTING FOR THE BEST CANDIDATE